The Last of Zootopia
by Stitch-Fan-3
Summary: Five years have passed since a global pandemic of mutant Night Howlers spread, causing it's victims to become savage monsters. A fox smuggler, a rabbit member of the mercenary group, the Fireflies, and a teenage vixen, who may hold the key to solving this catastrophe, must travel cross-country through a riddled country full of dangers. Rated M. AU X-over.
1. Prologue: Outbreak Day

**Hey, guys. I'm back with another fanfic crossover. This one is with Zootopia, and one of the best zombie pandemic story video games, The Last of Us. The first time I made a Last of Us crossover, my first fanfic ever, didn't really do well, so I got rid of it. But now, this time, I'm gonna tackle that again, for the better. Some of the major characters will be replaced with OC's, while minor characters will be the same, just turned into mammals. This'll focus on the characters of Zootopia, both canon and scrapped characters, set in the setting for the Last of Us, with elements from the movie and video game mashed together. There will be some parts of the story that I may need help figuring out, a little constructive criticism, if you will, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. So, without further ado, please enjoy.**

Eleven-forty at night. A young blonde-furred vixen with blue eyes, wearing a tannish sweater and a flower-patterned skirt, was on the couch, watching the news. Her nine-year-old daughter, same blonde fur, but with green eyes, wearing her Gazelle sleep shirt and red pajamas, was napping next to her in her arm.

The door opened, and in walked a male fox with red fur and green eyes, wearing tannish pants, a green hawaiian shirt, and a blue tie.

"Gideon, I-" the fox said through his phone. "Gideon, listen to me. This guy is the contractor- This guy's the contractor, okay? I can't lose this job. I-I understand. Look, we'll talk about this more in the morning, okay? We'll talk more in the morning. Okay, see ya tomorrow."

The fox hung up his phone, sighed deeply, and looked to his wife. "Hey, Cassie."

"Hey, Nick." Cassie greeted her husband.

Lifting her kit into her arms, she moved over to the middle of the couch, so her husband could sit in his usual spot. The kit stirred awake.

"Hi, daddy." she murmured.

"Oh, sorry, Abby, baby. I didn't mean to wake you." said Cassie.

"No, mama. Thanks for doing so. We still gotta give him you-know-what." said Abby.

"Abby, please not now. I don't have the energy for this. It's late, like, way past bedtime late." said Nick.

"I think you'll be in brighter spirits when you see this!" Abby handed her father a card with a dinosaur in party hat, and a small, grey box.

The title read, _"You're not a fossil... Yet."_

Nick opened, and read the card.

 _"Dear Dad, You're never around most of the time, you hate the music I'm into, you literally despise the movies I'm into, and yet, you still manage to be the best dad ever. How do you do that? Luv ya, Pops. Happy Birthday!"_

"Aw, that's cute." Nick grinned, and held the box up. "What's in this?"

"Open it, birthday boy." Cassie grinned.

Nick did, and inside was a brand new watch.

"Holy cow." Nick whistled.

"I know, right?" said Cassie.

"You kept complaining that your watch was broken. So, me and mama figured, you know. You love it?" asked Abby.

"Aw, girls. It's pretty, but..." Nick tapped on the watch. "I dunno, it's looks like it's stuck, or..."

"What?! No, it couldn't-" Cassie looked, and realized it wasn't broken. Just another fast one pulled by her husband, again.

"Oh, nice one, Slick." Cassie said, sarcastically.

"Hey, it's called a hustle, sweetheart." Nick grinned. "C'mon, you know you love me."

Cassie kissed Nick on the cheek. "Yes. Yes, I do." Abby giggled.

"You both bought this? Where did you two even get the money for it?" asked Nick.

"Where do ya think, Pops? Pawpsicles." Abby grinned. "Me and mama sold hardcore pawpsicles."

"Oh, good. Then, maybe you make start helping me and mama pay the mortgage." said Nick.

"Yeah, dream on." said Abby.

"Easy, kiddo. That's your dad your talking to." Cassie joked, which Nick and Abby giggled.

A while later, Abby had fallen asleep. Lifting her into his arms, Nick carried the kit to her room, and gently set her down on her bed. Cassie tucked her in, and kissed her forehead.

"Love you, baby girl." she whispered.

"See ya in the morning, kiddo." whispered Nick, patting her head.

Nick wrapped his arms around Cassie. "Well, I'll admit, this was a great birthday surprise hustle. Thank you."

Cassie kissed Nick, and replied, "Only for you, Slick."

Despite the rough day between work and all, Nick thought it turned around to a pretty good night.

...

It was a little after one o' clock, when Abby's bedside phone rang. Abby stirred awake, and answered.

"Hello?" Abby muttered.

"Abby! Honey, I need to get your mama and daddy on the phone!" It was her mom's younger brother, Gideon.

"Uncle Gideon! What's wrong?" Abby asked, the sound of her uncle's urgent tone woke her up, completely.

"I need to talk to your ma and pop, now! There's something-" The call suddenly dropped.

"Uncle Gideon? Hello?" Abby called, but no answer. She tried again, but no such luck.

Abby sat up, and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "What was that about?" she muttered.

Abby walked out into the hallway. "Mom? Dad?" she called.

Walking down the hallway, she turned to her right to see light coming from her parent's bedroom. Abby walked inside to find her mother watching the news, again. Yet, her mother's face looked concerned.

"Mama? What's wrong?" said Abby.

"Abby? Why aren't you asleep?" asked Cassie, approaching her daughter.

"Uncle Gideon called, but the call dropped." said Abby. "Is something wrong?"

"No, baby. Everything's okay. Just, there's some scary adult stuff going on in the city, but everything'll be fine." Cassie tried to smile.

Abby glanced over her mom's shoulder to see the TV. "That's at the hospital, nearby us."

 _"Patients just keep lining up at the hospital. All doctors who work there are being called in to address the situation. The police are now starting to arrive at-"_ The snow leopard reporter, Fabienne Growley, was interrupted by a wolf officer, yelling to her in the background. _"There seems to be a commotion going on, behind me-"_

 _"Hey, lady!"_ yelled the officer. _"Get outta here, now! We gotta-"_

BOOM!

A sudden explosion came from inside the hospital, and the TV went to static. A sudden rumbling shook the house.

"Ma, what was that?!" whimpered Abby. To answer her question, another explosion was in view from the bedroom window.

"Oh, my God." whispered Cassie.

"Mama, I'm scared." said Abby. "Where's daddy?!"

Cassie picked up her daughter into her arms. "It's okay, baby. Mama's got you. We're gonna go find daddy now."

Cassie carried Abby down the steps, calling for Nick. "Nick?! Nick!"

From outside, police car sirens could be heard going past the street. The sound of Nick's phone came from the kitchen. Cassie seated Abby on the counter to answer the phone. It was a text from Gideon.

"Eight missed calls? Nick, do you ever use this thing?" muttered Cassie. "It says, _'Where are you, guys? Call me! I'm on my way, there.'_ "

Abby looked to see the newspaper from today was still there, where she left it for her dad to read, untouched. Abby, being the kid she is, thought it was full of boring stuff to read, but looking at it now, figured to help keep her mind together.

The head story was all about crops and the food items that were made from them, were being called back, on account of weird plant mutations coming from flowers called Night Howlers. There was also a story about a caribou being attacked in a fight with a mean polar bear, but Abby quickly looked away from that article, clearly not helping calm her mind.

There was a noise from the office, like someone was coming inside through the sliding-glass door. It was Nick.

"Cassie! Abby! Good, you're here! Are you two okay?" he asked.

"Nick! Holy smokes, where have you been?!" said Cassie, taking Abby in her arms, again.

"We're okay, daddy. Where were you?" said Abby.

Nick raced back into the office, and pulled out a black case.

"Cass, did anyone come in here?" he asked, not turning around to talk directly, as he opened the case to reveal a revolver pistol.

"No, who would come in here?" asked Cassie. "Also, how long have you had THAT in the house?!"

"Just... Don't go near the doors, okay?! Stay back there!" said Nick, loading up the gun with bullets.

"Nick, you're scaring me. What's wrong?!" said Cassie.

"It's the Coopers. Something's not right with them. I think they're sick." said Nick.

"What do you mean sick, daddy?"

A sudden bang at the sliding-glass door answered Abby's question. It was their raccoon neighbor, Jimmy Cooper, ramming into the glass, and snarling like he was mad.

"Jimmy!" Nick called. "Jimmy, it's me, Nick! Remember?!"

"Nick?!" Cassie said, fear in her voice.

"Girls, c'mere. C'mere." Nick got in front of his family, pointing the gun, towards the mad raccoon, as he broke through the glass.

"Jimmy, stay back! Jimmy, I am warning you! Don't make me do this!"

Nick's warnings fell on deaf ears, as the raccoon charged. Nick pulled the trigger, the girls screamed, and the raccoon fell. Nick moved his family into the dining room.

"Nick, y-you s-shot him." Cassie was shaking, shielding her daughter from seeing the awful scene in the office.

"Cassie, listen." Nick tried to calm his wife down.

"I saw him this morning, and he was just fine." said Cassie.

"Cassie, listen. There is something bad going on." said Nick. "Abby, look at me. Don't look in there. There is this sickness going around, causing mammals to go nuts. We're gonna be okay, but we need to leave. You both understand, right?"

Abby, at a loss for words, and terrified, just nodded.

"Yeah, we get it." said Cassie, now calmed, a little.

The family turned to see car headlights coming up their driveway, through the window.

"It's Gideon. C'mon, let's go." Nick led his family out the door.

From out of the car stepped Gideon, a fox with red fur, and red hair on his head, wearing a blue flannel shirt and jeans.

"Where the sam hell you been?!" asked Gideon. "You have any idea what's going on, out there?!"

"I got some notion." said Nick, as he helped Cassie and Abby into the back of the car.

"Wait, is that blood on your shirt?!" asked Gideon.

"It's not mine, let's just get outta here." said Nick, in a tone that made it clear, he wanted not to spend another second around the house.

"You gonna tell me what happened?" Gideon asked, as he and Nick sat up front, Gideon at the wheel.

"Later. Can we just go?" Nick pleaded.

Gideon backed up, and drove down the road.

"Hey, sis. Hey, Abby. How you girls doing?" Gideon asked Cassie and Abby.

"A little shaken, but we're okay." said Cassie. "Thanks for coming, bro."

"Can we listen to the radio, Uncle Gideon?" asked Abby.

"I don't think that's a-"

"Cass, we need to know where to what's going on." Gideon interrupted Cassie.

When Gideon turned the radio on, only static came through. Gideon hit the dash board in frustration.

"No cell phone, no TV, no radio. Yeah, we're doing great." Gideon huffed.

"Did they say where to go?" asked Nick.

"They said, uh... Army's put up road block's on the highway. No getting into Travis County." said Gideon.

"Then take Route 71, if we're gonna get out." said Nick.

"Right, 71's what I had in mind." said Gideon.

"Are we sick?" asked Abby.

"No, honey. We're fine." said Nick.

"How do you know?" Abby asked, again.

"They said it's just mammals in the city." said Gideon.

"But, didn't Mr. Cooper work in the city?" asked Abby.

"That's right, he did. But, we're fine, sweetheart. Trust me." Nick reassured his daughter.

"I do. But, how many mammals did get sick?" said Abby.

"Probably a lot. They say half the city's lost their mind. Some sort of parasite, or something." said Gideon. "Actually, I found one family of sheep in their house. They were all mangled-"

"Gideon!" Cassie stopped her brother, reminding him of Abby.

"Right. Sorry." said Gideon, as he turned down a dirt road.

"How did this even happen?" asked Nick.

"They got no clue. But, we ain't the only town." said Gideon. "First, they were saying, it's just the south. Now, they're going on about the east coast, and the west coast-"

Gideon stopped as they drove by a horrific scene to their right. An entire farmhouse lit on fire. The barn, and the crops were lit ablaze, too.

"Oh, no." whispered Gideon. "That's the Hopps' family farm. Hope Stu, Bonnie, and their kids made it out."

"I'm sure they did." Cassie placed her paw on Gideon's shoulder, in a comforting attempt, as the farm was out of sight.

"Wait. Up ahead." Cassie pointed up the road to a family of three beavers walking on the right side off the road. "Pull over, they might need help."

"Gideon, no. Keep driving." said Nick.

"They got a kid, Nick." said Gideon.

"So do we." Nick retorted.

"But, we have room." said Cassie.

"Just keep driving." Nick said, and Gideon did.

"Nick! We could've helped!" said Cassie.

Nick stared right into his wife's eyes. "You haven't seen what I've seen." Nick said, in a voice that made Cassie's fur tingle with fear. "Someone else'll come along."

"Oh, no, no." Gideon muttered, as up ahead, was a traffic jam. Rows of cars just piled on both lanes of the road, a hospital just to the left, with ambulances bringing in more sick and injured.

"Well, great. Everyone and their mother had the same, bright idea." said Gideon.

"Well, we should just back-track, and-"

An elephant got out of his car in front of the foxes, and yelled to the crowd. "Hey, come on, man! Let's go!"

Suddenly, a sick rhino in a hospital gown just came bursting out of the hospital, and charged at the rhino, impaling the elephant with it's horn.

"Holy crap!" yelled Gideon.

"Gideon, get us outta here." Nick said, with fear in his voice. "Gideon. Gideon!"

Gideon snapped out of it, and sharply turned, the rhino right behind them, as it hit the car, thankfully, not with it's horn.

"What just happened? What the CRAP just happened, back there?! You saw that too, right?!" yelled Gideon.

"Yes, we did!" said Nick. "Wait, turn here. Turn here!"

Gideon turned to the road leading to town square. Mammals of all species were running past them, in fear. An RV was blocking the way, except for a gap wide enough for the truck to squeeze through.

"C'mon, folks. Move!" Gideon tried to move, but stopped with a jerk, as mammals kept running.

"What are they running from?" Abby whimpered.

"We can't stop here, Gid." said Nick.

"I CAN'T DRIVE THROUGH 'EM, NICK!" shouted Gideon.

"THEN, BACK UP!" Nick shouted back.

"They're behind me, too!" said Gideon.

"Wait, look! The path's cleared! Go, move!" yelled Nick.

Gideon stepped on the gas, squeezing through, and out onto the intersection of the square.

"Look out!" Cassie cried, shielding Abby.

Another truck came flying to their right, and slammed into Gideon's truck, sending it onto it's side, and everything went black...

...

"Daddy? Daddy!"

"Nick?! Nick, honey!"

The first thing Nick heard when he regained consciousness was his wife and daughter's voices, and the first thing he saw was a sick leopard, tearing it's claws into a deer. Nick felt Cassie's paw on his shoulder.

"I'm okay. What about you two?" said Nick.

"We're okay, but I think my leg hurts." said Abby.

"How bad?" asked Cassie.

"Real bad." Abby winced.

Nick kicked the broken windshield out, crawled out of the car, and helped his family out. There was no sign of Gideon inside, meaning he must've already gotten out of the car. Suddenly, a sick fox charged at Nick, but Gideon appeared, and threw a brick at it's face, then stabbed it with a glass shard.

"Y'all alright?" Gideon asked.

"Yeah. Thanks, Gid." said Nick.

"We're gonna need to run." said Gideon.

Nick handed his revolver to Gideon. "Keep us safe."

Nick picked up Abby into his arms. "I got Abby, Cassie. Stay close, we gotta run."

"Okay. Abby, hold onto daddy, tightly." said Cassie. Abby nodded.

The family of foxes ran amongst the panicked crowd. From left to right, chaos was everywhere. Buildings were being blown up, and on fire. Cars and trucks were crashing. Sick mammals were toppling onto other mammals, attacking them.

"Daddy, those mammals are on fire. Why are those mammals biting them, like that?" Abby whimpered, terrified, and crying at the scary scenes happening around her.

"Abby, baby. Don't look at any of that. Look at daddy. Keep looking at daddy." said Cassie.

"Guys, get back! There's too many up ahead!" Gideon shouted over the screams. "Quick! Though that alley, over there!"

Gideon kicked open the gate leading to an alley. A sick zebra came charging out of the shadows, but Gideon quickly shot it down. "C'mon, move!"

The foxes ran down the alley, leading to the back of a restaurant. The family rushed inside, Gideon slammed and locked the back door, as several sick mammals came up behind them. Gideon braced against the door, as the sick mammals banged at it to get inside.

"Get to the highway!" yelled Gideon.

"What?! We can't leave you. That's not happening!" said Nick.

"Go! You and Cassie have Abby. I can outrun 'em!" shouted Gideon.

"Gideon?!" shrieked Cassie.

"We'll meet you there!" shouted Nick, as he grabbed Cassie's arm with his paw, held Abby in his left arm, and ran outside.

"Hurry!" Gideon called back.

Nick kicked the front door open, and ran down a hill, running down a dirt path, leading to the highway.

"Nick, we can't leave him! That's my little brother!" said Cassie.

"He's gonna be okay! I'll go back, and get him, once I know you two are safe." said Nick.

"Daddy! More sick mammals!" cried Abby.

A sick zebra and sick moose crawled out of a nearby crashed ambulance, and spotted the family of foxes. The foxes tried to outrun them up another hill, then, without warning, the sick mammals were gunned down. The family looked up to see a wolf in a military uniform, brandishing an assault rifle, with a flashlight attached to it.

"It's okay, girls. We're safe, now." said Nick. "Hey, sir. We need help."

"Stop." ordered the wolf.

"Please. My daughter has a broken leg." Nick pleaded.

"Stop, right there!" The wolf pointed his rifle when the foxes moved closer, now they moved back a bit.

"It's okay. We're not sick." Nick pleaded, again.

"Got a family of civilians in the outer perimeter. Please advise. Over." The wolf reported into his radio.

"Daddy, what about Uncle Gideon?" said Abby.

"I'm gonna get you and your mama to safety, then, I'll go back and find him. Okay?" said Nick.

"Sir, they have a little girl with them." said the wolf. "But-... Yes, sir."

"Listen, buddy. We've just been through a living nightmare." said Nick. "We just need-"

Nick stopped when he realized the way the wolf held his rifle.

"I'm so sorry." The wolf muttered.

"Oh, crap." Nick turned to run, but the wolf open fired. Gunshots ran out, and the foxes tumbled down the hill.

The wolf scrambled down, and fixed his sights on Nick, who pleaded not to be shot, when suddenly, the wolf was shot in the head, and fell. Nick and Cassie turned to see Gideon with the revolver. Cassie ran up, and hugged her brother, in gratitude.

"Oh, no." Gideon whispered, in horror. Nick and Cassie turned to see Abby on the floor, and in pain.

"Abby!" Nick cried, and rushed to her side.

Abby was crying and squeaking in pain. A bullet went through the right side of her abdomen, and she was bleeding fast. Abby was clutching her side, wincing at how much it hurt.

"Okay, move your hands, baby." Nick said, as he pulled Abby's hands off her wound, making her squeak, in pain. "I know, baby. I know."

Nick tried to apply pressure to the wound, but she was still losing blood.

"Listen to me, I know it hurts, baby. You're gonna be okay, baby. Just stay with me." Nick pleaded. "I'm gonna pick you up, okay?"

Abby squealed, when Nick tried to move her. "I know, baby. It hurts. C'mon, please. You'll be okay." Nick pleaded. Cassie and Gideon kneeled close to Abby's right side, numbed with fear.

"Mama... daddy... Uncle... I... love you..." Abby whispered, a single tear fell down her cheek, and she went limb.

"Abby! Baby!" Nick cried. "Don't do this to us, baby. Don't do this to us, baby girl. C'mon, please."

Cassie took Abby in her arms. "Abby, please. Please, baby girl, can you hear us? Abby..." Cassie sobbed. Nick soon joined in his wife's sobs. Gideon just laid a comforting arm on his sister.

That's when he felt the gun get snatched out of his paw. Nick and Gideon looked up to see Cassie backing away from the male foxes, her daughter in one arm, and the gun in her other paw, which slowly moved up to her head.

"Cassie, what're you doing?!" Nick cried.

"I can't, Nick. Not without Abby. I'm sorry." Abby sobbed.

"SIS, NO!" Gideon cried, rushing over to stop her, but it was too late.

Cassie pulled the trigger, and she was gone, too. Nick kneeled down to his wife and daughter's limb bodies on the ground, and held them both, sobbing.

"No! No, no, no. Please." Nick sobbed. "Oh, God. Please. Please, please, don't do this. Please, God."

In a single night, Nick lost his whole world, just like so many others.

...

 _"The number of confirmed deaths has passed over two-hundred. The_ _governor has called for a state of emergency."_

 _"There were hundreds and hundreds of bodies lying in the streets."_

 _"Panic spread worldwide, as a leaked report from the World Health Organization showed that the latest vaccination tests have failed."_

 _"With the bureaucrats out of power, we can finally take the necessary steps to-"_

 _"Los Angeles is now the latest city to be placed under martial law."_

 _"All residents are required to report to their designated quarantine-"_

 _"Riots have continued for a third executive day, and winter rations are at an all-time low."_

 _"A group calling themselves the Fireflies have claimed responsibility for both attacks."_

 _"Their charter calls for the return of all branches of government."_

 _"Cries of outrage and protest have occurred, following the execution of six more alleged Fireflies."_

 _"You can still rise with us. Remember, when you're lost in the darkness, look for the light. Believe in the Fireflies."  
_

 _..._

~THE LAST OF ZOOTOPIA~

 **Well, guys. That's it for the prologue. Next chapter will see Nick being introduced as a smuggler, and meets up with the Fireflies, and Judy, the Fireflies'** **second-in-command, next to the Queen Firefly, Bellwether. Who will replace the character for Tess and Robert, I'll reveal in the next chapter. In this story, it will take place five years after the outbreak, instead of twenty, so to be faithful to the age of the characters from the movie. Meaning, Nick in this chapter was 27, but will be 32 in the next one. The five-year gap is inspired like the one mentioned in the upcoming sequel of the game. Leave a review, if you like, about the fanfic, or to express your hype about the sequel, 'cause I'm hooked.**

 **I own nothing, except a few OC's. All rights go to original owners. No copyright intended. Stay tuned for the next chapter in this fanfic. Thanks.**

 **P.S. I like to apologize in advance for any strong language featured in this fanfic, as it's progress continues. Also, if the title doesn't sound much, but the story's better than the title. Thanks, again.**


	2. Chapter 1: Just Another Day

**Hey, guys. I'm here with the next chapter. Not much to say except, enjoy.**

 _(Summer, Five years later)_

Nick shot up awake. Another one of those nightmares, again. Sitting up from the bed, Nick threw on his green flannel shirt, and jeans. Nick lost his old hawaiian shirt a long time ago. Nick's ears perked up, when he heard a repeated knock at his door.

"I'm coming." Nick said, annoyed.

Nick opened the door to find his partner, Honey Badger, at the door. Honey was a female badger, same age as Nick, wearing a dark, red flannel shirt, a grey shirt underneath, and jeans. A pointed tuft of white hair was on top of her head.

"How was your morning, Slick?" Honey said, as she made her way inside.

"Don't call me that, please." Nick murmured.

"Want a drink?" Honey asked, as she poured herself a glass of wine.

"Nah, I don't feel like having one." said Nick. "So, where were you, Honey?"

"West-end District." said Honey. "We had a drop to make."

" _We_ had a drop to make?" Nick asked, in a precise tone.

"Well, you wanted to be left alone, remember?" said Honey. "I've also got some other interesting news, for ya."

"Well, lemme guess how _our_ drop went. The whole deal went south, and the client made off with our pills. Is that right?" said Nick.

Honey just chuckled, and held up a stack of green cards in her claw. "Deal went off without a hitch. Enough ration cards to last us a couple months. Easy peasy." she said.

"You wanna explain that?" Nick pointed to a cut on Honey's cheek.

"Oh, this." Honey touched the cut. "I was on my way here, and I got jumped by these two creeps. They got a couple of hits in, but, I'm okay. I managed."

Nick took a piece of wet cloth, and rubbed the cut, to ease the pain. "So, are these creeps still with us?" he asked.

"Now, that's funny. In a dark, humorous way." smirked Honey.

"Did you find out who they were?" Nick asked, again.

"Yeah, they were a couple of nobodies. What matters, though, is that it was Duke Weaselton that sent them." said Honey.

"Our Duke Weaselton?" asked Nick.

"Yep, and he knows we're after him. Figures he's gonna get us first." said Honey.

"That little weasel. He's smarter than he looks." said Nick.

"No, not smart enough." grinned Honey. "Because I know where he's hiding."

"Yeah, right." Nick rolled his eyes.

"Old warehouse in Area 5. Can't say for how long, though." Honey shrugged.

"Well, I'm ready to do this, now. Y'know?" said Nick, as he walked out the door.

"Oh, I can do now." Honey said, as she followed Nick outside. "Just got us some new ID's, too. So, they won't give us any trouble at the checkpoint."

"Well, we only got a few hours left 'til curfew." said Nick.

"Then let's get a move on." Honey said, as she led the way out of the alley, where Nick's apartment was located.

Out on the streets, mammals were going about their business, as normal as business was, these days, let alone, as normal 'normal' could get, too. The military was patrolling the streets, and up on the rooftops of buildings, too.

Mammals at the food line were all piling up for rations, but there were fewer than before, meaning they were running low, again. Further down the street, Soldiers lined up four mammals to scan them for infection, since they were caught hiding in a condemned building.

The first two mammals, two gazelles, were clean. A zebra was scanned positive for infection, and immediately put down. The last one, a cheetah, made a run for his life, but as fast as he was, was gunned down.

This was the kind of stuff Nick saw everyday. The scariest thing, even though he wouldn't admit it out loud, was he had gotten used to it.

Up ahead, Nick could see a military truck brining in mammals in yellow suits. Probably more people who were released from quarantine in another district. To the left was the checkpoint. Nick and Honey displayed both their ID cards to the rhino guard, who made a quick scan.

"What's your business here?" The guard said, returning the cards to their owners.

"Got the day off of work. Visiting a friend." said Nick.

"Alright. Go on through." said the guard.

BOOM!

The military truck behind the guard was blown away. Nick and Honey backed away, when the guard closed the gate.

"Get outta here! Now!" the guard shouted. "FIREFLIES! OPEN FIRE!"

"Nick, C'mon!" Honey pulled Nick away from the fight, and ran into a nearby apartment complex.

"Those freakin' fireflies." Nick mumbled in annoyance, and winced when he felt a large cut on his left arm.

"Here, Nick. Patch yourself." Honey handed a disinfectant bandage.

"Thank you, kindly." Nick said, as he patched his wound.

"They're gonna close all the checkpoints. We're gonna have to use the tunnel leading outside." said Honey.

"Wait, you mean, OUTSIDE the wall?" asked Nick.

"Or, we could just let Duke go." Honey retorted.

"I hate it when you're right." muttered Nick.

"Of course I'm right." smirked Honey. "C'mon, it should be down this hallway."

A raccoon ran up beside Nick and Honey as they were walking down the hall.

"Hey, guys. I heard what happened outside. You okay?" he said.

"We're good. How's the east tunnel looking?" said Honey.

"Pretty good. You two gonna pay Duke a visit, too?" said the raccoon.

"Who else is looking for him?" said Honey.

"Dawn Bellwether, and Judy Hopps." said the raccoon.

"Dawn and Judy? What do they want with Duke?" said Honey.

"You think they would tell me?" said the raccoon.

"Well, what did you tell them?" said Honey.

"The truth. I got no idea where he's hiding." said the raccoon.

"Good mammal. You stay outta trouble, 'kay?" said Honey, as the raccoon nodded a good-bye.

"Dawn looking for Duke? What would the Fireflies want with him?" Honey asked Nick.

"I don't know, but I don't like it. We gotta find him before they do." said Nick.

"Hey, guys." a leopard greeted the duo, when they entered the room where the tunnel entrance was.

"Hey, how's the tunnel looking?" asked Honey.

"Just checked it out. It's all clear."

The wolf pointed to a large hole in the wall, covered up by a large TV set. Moving the set, the duo jumped down the hole.

"Ugh. Mammals need to watch what they throw down here." Honey gagged at the smell of the sewage, clawing at the air for the light switch.

"Here it is." Honey flicked the switch up, brightening up the tunnel. "Let there be light. C'mon, our backpacks should be here from last time."

On a nearby bench were two backpacks. Nick's was brown tannish, and Honey's was lime-colored green. Both had gas masks, attachable flashlights, and 9mm pistols.

"Not a whole lot of ammo." Nick said, as he holstered his gun, and gathered his supplies in his pack, slinging it around his shoulders.

"Well, make your shots count." said Honey. "Alright, Texas. Boost me up."

Nick boosted Honey up the ledge, leading to the trap door, that led outside. Pulling Nick up next, the two emerged from the ruins of an old diner. Walking out of the diner, they could see the grass, the plants, the small trees, vines covering the old buildings, and the outer rim of the wall.

"Boy, it's been a while since we've been out here. It feels like we're almost like we're on a date." smirked Honey.

"Well, I am the romantic type." smirked Nick. "Oh, look. The ladder's still here, from last time. Ladies first."

"Lady? You must have me confused for someone else." Honey joked, as she climbed the ladder, Nick following behind her.

The two worked their way down the building, towards the basement, leading to where their tunnel back into the city. However, the duo was greeted by spores, tiny plant-like particles released by the mutated Night Howlers. One whiff, and they're good as infected. Which is why everyone carried a gas mask with them, these days.

Donning their masks, the duo switched on their lights, and walked slowly through, having their pistols out in case of Savages, the name the mammals used to call infected mammals, because of the aggressive, primitive hunting behavior, like mammals were, back in the Stone age.

"This way was clear of spores, last time we were here. What do ya think happened?" said Honey.

"I think that's our culprit, right there." Nick pointed to the body of an infected koala, it's body dripping blue blood, and flower petals growing out of it's skin.

"Body doesn't look that old. There's probably more nearby." said Honey.

Suddenly, Nick felt something grab his foot. Nick jumped to see a cat pinned underneath rubble.

"Help me, please..." The cat coughed. "My mask broke. Don't leave me to turn, please..."

"What do you want to do?" asked Honey.

Nick's only answer was to grant the cat's request, and pulled the trigger, so he wouldn't suffer from turning.

"Poor guy." said Honey. "I don't recognize him from the city, which means he must've been trying to find a way in. You got all these mammals in the walls complaining, but then, they're mammals outside, trying to get in."

"Wait, d'ya hear that?" Nick hushed.

From down the hall, was the sound of yelling. But, the yelling sounded more like feral screams, than mammals calling for help, or out of fear and pain. Nick and Honey took cover behind a wall, and peeked around a door frame to see a savage rabbit standing there, twitching, while two savage beavers were feasting on the body of a dog.

The infection, no matter if the mammals were predator or prey, would bring about cannibalistic hunger, their teeth would grow more sharper, making them something more monstrous. Something un-mammal.

"How do you wanna play this?" whispered Honey.

"I'll strangle the rabbit, you go for two head shots on the beavers." whispered Nick.

Putting the plan to motion, Nick and Honey were able to bring down the savages.

"Alright, let's go, before more show up." Honey and Nick ran up a flight of stairs, and hopped out the hole in the second floor wall, landing on the grass. Now, they were in the clear of the spores, they removed their masks.

"Ah, that's better." Honey breathed in the clean air. "That's what I love about the outside. I freakin' hate the smell of the city."

"Well, why don't you ask Finnick to get more of those air fresheners?" asked Nick.

"I would if they weren't expired." said Honey. "Speaking of Finnick, we're supposed to get another shipment from him, next week. More pills, supposedly."

"Speaking of shipments, for Duke's sake, he better still have our guns." said Nick.

Nick opened a vine-covered wooden pallet, that acted as a secret door to the building, leading back into the QZ. Traveling into the building, across a large gap via a blank for a bridge, and down the fire escape, they were back in the interior of the zone, and right to the building door that led to Duke's part of town.

"Nick, here. We're gonna probably have to fight our way out." Honey tossed a case of ammo at Nick, that she found, along with a second case for her, on a nearby table. Honey knocked on the back door, and it opened to reveal a male fox kit, wearing a baseball cap.

"Hey, little feller. Look what I got for ya." Honey waved a stash of ration cards. "No soldiers, none of Duke's guys, and they're yours."

The kit nodded, took the cards, and closed the door. Nick could see the kit, looking around the area, through where he stood by the window. The kit knocked on the glass to signal the coast was clear.

"That's our cue." said Honey, as she opened the door.

"Y'know, he's expecting us." said Nick.

"Well, that'll make it more interesting. said Honey.

"Hey, Honey. Hey, Honey." a male badger called to Honey. "Wow, pretty lady. You looking fine."

"Not now, dude." Honey shrugged the badger off.

"C'mon, girl. I-"

"I said, NOT NOW." Honey repeated, with more assertiveness.

"Okay, okay. Don't get all huffy-puffy about it." said the badger.

Nick and Honey continued to walk through what appeared to be a market district, with shops of various style. From left to right, there were meat shops for predators, vegetables that were smuggled in from the outside for prey, fish, lizards, and birds being sold as pets, and just weapons and junk, mostly.

"Hey, fox. Where do ya think you're going?" Nick was stopped by a hippo in a white hoodie and black baseball cap.

"Malick, move outta the way." barked Honey.

"Oh, sorry, Hon. Didn't realize he's with you." Malick moved out of the way.

"Who was that?" Nick asked as they continued walking.

"An old headache. Don't ask." said Honey.

Up ahead, Honey handed a shrew in a grey hoodie a stack of ration cards.

"Looking for Duke. Did he come through here?" she asked the shrew.

"Half-hour ago. Went back to the wharf. Still there, probably." said the shrew, taking the cards.

Nick and Honey were out of the market district, and walking right into Duke's territory. Three mean-looking ferrets came out, guns holstered at their side, blocking the duo's way.

"Here we go." Nick muttered.

"Let us through." Honey said, boldly.

"You guys need to turn back if you know what's good for ya." said the leading ferret.

"Our beef isn't with you. We just want Duke." Honey said, again.

"Turn around, and leave, NOW." said the ferret.

"We're not going anywhere without Duke. You don't wanna do this." Honey warned.

"Bitch, I will bash you're skull, if you don't turn around, and leave, now." warned the ferret.

"Screw this." Honey shot the ferret down.

Both sides took cover, as it became a shootout. Using the crates as cover, Nick worked his way up, waited for the ferrets to make their move, then circled around them, and shot them both down, with ease.

"Nicely done, Texas." said Honey.

"Where did Duke even get all these guys?" Nick said, as he reloaded his gun.

"If there's one thing Duke's good at, it's writing blank checks. Let's go put an end to that." said Honey.

The duo worked their way up to another warehouse, relying on stealth, as they took down a few more guards from behind, and strangled them.. Cutting through the warehouse via a garage door, they took cover from the railing wall of a balcony, the stairs leading down to the warehouse that held all the boats and their cargo came into their view. This was Duke's main hub of business.

"Hey, there's our boy." From where they were hiding, Honey pointed to Duke Weaselton, a weasel with brown fur and amber eyes, wearing a grey-stripped hoodie, and jeans, talking with another ferret guard.

Duke nodded to the guard, and walked back into the warehouse.

"That cocky son-of-a-bitch." smirked Honey. "Let's finish this."

Nick and Honey hopped down, and took cover. Going back into stealth mode, they made another quick round of work, strangling out the guards. With the coast clear, Nick kicked the door down to Duke's office. Honey pulled Nick back to avoid Duke's gunshot.

"GET BACK, NOW!" shouted Duke.

"We just wanna talk Duke! Put your gun down!" shouted Honey.

"Yeah? Well, we got nothing to talk about! So, go screw yourselves!" Duke shouted, as he kept firing hot shots at the doorway to keep the duo at bay, until his gun was empty. Duke threw the gun at the doorway, and ran out the back door.

"He's running! Get him!" Honey shouted, as she and Nick chased after him.

The chase led them through another warehouse building, only it was devoid of any cargo and warehouse supplies, meaning no place to hide for Duke. Seeing Duke jump out first floor window, Nick and Honey hopped out to find Duke's escape route blocked by a locked back alley gate, with the weasel trying, vainly, to open the gate.

"Well, well, well. Hello, Duke Weaselton." smirked Honey. "We missed you."

Duke turned around, and chuckled. "Honey, Nick. No hard feelings, right?"

"None at all." said Honey, as she picked up a broken pipe.

Duke tried to make a run past them, but Honey was faster, and whacked Duke in the shin, sending him smacking hard into the floor.

"Aw, dammit!" Duke hissed.

Nick kicked Duke in the face, and held his right arm out, pinning it down.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Duke cried, in anguish.

"Quit your squirming." said Honey, bending down to his level.

"Look, whatever it is you heard, it ain't true. Okay?" pleaded Duke.

"The guns. You wanna tell us where the guns are?" asked Honey.

"Yeah, sure. But, it's complicated." said Duke. "Look, just hear me out. I gotta-"

Nick bent out on Duke's arm, making him yelp in pain, then stopped.

"Now, you were saying?" asked Honey.

"I sold 'em." said Duke.

"What?" asked Honey, again.

"I didn't have a choice. I owed someone." said Duke.

"You owed us. I say you betted on the wrong horse." said Honey.

"Look, I can get 'em back. Just give me a week." pleaded Duke.

"Y'know, I might've done that, if you hadn't tried to freaking kill us." said Honey.

"C'mon, it wasn't like-"

"Who has our guns?" Honey interrupted Duke.

"I can't say." said Duke.

That proved to be the wrong move on Duke's part, as Nick snapped his arm. Duke cried in pain.

"Who. Has. Our. Guns?" Honey repeated slowly, wanting Duke to get the message.

"It's the Fireflies. I owed the Fireflies." yelped Duke.

"Excuse me?" said Honey.

"Look, they're basically all toast." said Duke. "So, we go in there, finish them off. We get the guns. What do ya say? C'mon, screw the Fireflies. Let's go get 'em!"

"That is a stupid idea." Honey said, as she shot Duke twice in the face.

"Well, now what do we do?" said Nick.

"We get our merchandise back." said Honey.

"How?" Nick asked.

"I dunno. We... explain it to them." said Honey. "Look, let's just... go find a Firefly."

"You won't have to look very far."

Nick and Honey turned to see two mammals emerging from the corner of the alley. There was a female rabbit with grey fur, and purple eyes, wearing a green t-shirt, a black backpack, and jeans. A necklace was around her neck, and hidden under the collar of her shirt. A pistol was holstered at her side. Judy Hopps, second-in-command of the Fireflies.

The second mammal was female sheep with white wool, and green eyes, wearing large glasses, a light-blue trench coat, a light-read hoodie, and tannish pants. There was a pistol held in her right hoof, and her left hoof was clutching her side, to stop the bleeding from a gunshot wound she got in an earlier struggle. Dawn Bellwether, The Firefly leader, herself.

"Well, there you go. Queen Firefly." said Nick. "Also, I do believe this cute little bunny is the Firefly Princess. Correct?"

"Don't call me cute, Wilde." Judy Hopps scowled. "Yeah, I'm aware of who you are."

"Why are you two here?" asked Dawn Bellwether.

"We should be asking you the same thing. You're not looking so hot, either." said Honey, pointing to Dawn's wound.

"Business." said Judy.

"Same." said Honey.

"Where's Duke?" asked Dawn. Nick and Honey revealed Duke's corpse.

"Sweet cheese and crackers." whispered Judy.

"We needed him alive." said Dawn.

"It's called a hustle, sweetheart." said Nick.

"The guns he gave you, they were ours. Now, we want them back." said Honey.

"Doesn't work like that, Honey." said Dawn.

"Bullcrap, it doesn't." said Honey.

"I paid for those guns." said Dawn. "You want them back? You're gonna have to earn them."

Nick and Honey looked at each other, then looked back at the Firefly duo.

"Alright, how many cards are we talking?" asked Honey.

"I don't give a crap about ration cards." said Dawn. "I need something smuggled out of the city. You do that, I'll give you you're guns back. Then, some."

"How do we know you still have them?" asked Nick. "The way I hear it, the military's wiping you guys out."

"Thanks, Captain Obvious." Judy rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed by the fox's attitude, already. What right gave him to question her best friend like that?

"You're right about that. I'll show you the weapons." said Dawn.

From afar, the four could hear the sound of soldiers coming from where Nick and Honey chased Duke.

"We gotta move. What's it gonna be?" asked Dawn.

Nick and Honey looked at each other, and then nodded.

"I wanna see those guns." said Honey.

"Follow us." Dawn led the three further down the alleyway.

"Dawn... I just wanna know you know what you're doing. Can we even trust them?" whispered Judy.

"Judy, trust me. Have I let you down before?" asked Dawn.

"Is that a trick question?" said Judy.

"I always know what I'm doing." said Dawn. "It's just only a matter of luck..."

 **Well, guys. That's it for this chapter. I'm trying to blend both of the characters' personalities with their** **own, along with those they replace in the game. Also, Judy's attire is based on an earlier concept of Tess from the game. Next chapter will introduce the OC to fill in for Ellie in this fanfic.**

 **I own nothing, except a few OC's. All rights go to original owners. No copyright intended. Thanks. Stay tuned for more of this fanfic crossover.**


	3. Chapter 2: The Outside World

**Hey, guys. I'm back with the next chapter, where we will finally be introduced to the third and final main character of our main trio in this crossover. Enjoy.**

Nick, Dawn, Judy, and Honey had taken to the rooftops, to avoid the military and get to where the 'something' they needed to smuggle was, faster. From the distance, an explosive noise was heard, and a large puff of smoke emerged from behind the buildings.

"Oh, crap. Is that your group?" said Honey.

"What's left of them. Why do you think we're turning to you, guys?" said Dawn.

"So, fluff." Nick spoke to Judy. "That attack at the area five checkpoint. That wasn't you, was it?"

"Heck, no." said Judy. "I was looking for Duke, along with Dawn. We ran into some of his goons, same as you. Dawn pushed me out of the way when this one guy came up from behind, and... Well, that's how she got, y'know."

"Speaking of which, how's that treating ya?" asked Honey.

"I'll live." Dawn waved off Honey's insistence, as they hopped into the open window space of the building they were currently at, and worked their way down to the street, again.

"Well, I'll fill better, when we get something for that." said Judy.

"So, Dawn. Why make a move, now?" asked Nick.

"We've been laying low, trying to leave the city. The military's trying to rile us up, looking for a scapegoat." said Dawn.

"Looks like they got it." said Nick.

"We're trying to defend ourselves." said Judy.

"So, how come I haven't met you, before?" said Nick. "I mean, I've heard about you, before, but-"

"I was leading another group." said Judy. "Down in Pittsburgh. But, then the military abandoned the zone. So, that's how I ended up here, just a couple days ago. I met Dawn way back, during the start of the outbreak. I joined her cause, and helped her ever since."

"Sounds like you got more than you bargained for, Carrots." said Nick.

"You're gonna wanna refrain from calling me Carrots, Slick." Judy glared at Nick.

"My bad. I just assumed you came from some carrot-choked Podunk. No?" Nick smirked.

"Uh, no. Podunk is in Deerbrooke county, and I grew up in BunnyBurrow." retorted Judy.

"Alright, keep it down, you two. We're right near one of the military's patrol routes." said Dawn.

From where they were, the group was underneath a bridge. From across the river, on the opposite ledge, was a door. Hiding behind a large crate, Dawn peeked out to see an elephant soldier walking up the ledge's stairs to the bridge.

"Alright, that door's where we need to go. But, there'll be soldiers guarding up top." said Dawn.

"I ain't a big fan of these odds." said Nick.

"We can sneak by them. Even though I know that's not your style." said Dawn.

"We'll see how it goes." said Honey.

The group headed up their own flight of stairs, and ducked behind cover to see at least five soldiers guarding the perimeter. Nick and Dawn took the lead, and strangled the first two guards. Nick snuck up, and stabbed at the third guard, with a makeshift shiv, that he customized himself, from earlier supplies he found lying around. Judy and Honey took head shots at the final two guards, before they knew what hit them.

Nearby, Judy and Dawn spotted three bodies with Firefly uniforms on them.

"Oh, no. They got Warren." said Dawn, looking at the porcupine Firefly. Dawn took a deep breath, trying to fight tears. "Good-bye, friend."

"We should get going, Dawn. More soldiers are gonna come, and find this, soon." said Nick.

Dawn sighed, and nodded. "You're right. Let's go."

The group headed down the stairs, and through the door, leading to the inside of another warehouse. Nick blockaded the door with a heavy locker, in case the military came down that way.

"How much farther is it, Dawn?" asked Honey.

"We're close. Real close."

"So, you know what you're smuggling here, Carrots?" said Nick.

"No. Dawn wanted to keep that discreet, until she said it was time. Not sure what that means." said Judy.

"Attention. Curfew is in effect in fifteen minutes. Denizens caught outside will be prosecuted." a voice over the loudspeaker announced.

"Oh, boy. We gotta hurry. It's right through there." Dawn pointed to a door, leading to an old diner. "Nick, gimme a hand with the door."

When Dawn and Nick pushed the jammed door open, Dawn's wound caused her to stumble.

"Hey, easy now." Nick said, helping up the ewe.

"Get the fuck away from her!"

Nick turned to see Honey grabbing the arm of a young vixen, holding a switchblade in her paw.

"Let her go." said Dawn.

Honey let the vixen go, and Nick could see that she looked to be a teenager. The female fox had light orange fur, and light purple eyes, wearing a red shirt, with a beach tree pattern on it, a long-sleeved black shirt underneath, dark jeans, and carrying a camouflage backpack.

"You're recruiting kind of young, ain't ya?" Nick asked, helping Dawn to a table, so she gain regain her balance.

"She's not one of mine." said Dawn.

"Oh, shit. What happened?" said the vixen.

"Don't worry, this is fixable." said Dawn. "I got us help. But, I can't come with you."

"Well, then I'm staying." said the vixen.

"Clementine. We're not gonna get another shot at this." said Dawn.

"Wait, we're smuggling her?" Nick pointed to the vixen, Clementine.

"There's a crew of Fireflies that'll meet you at the capital building. You hand her off, come back, the weapons are yours. Double what Duke sold me."

"That's not exactly close." said Honey.

"You're capable." said Dawn.

"Speaking of the guns, where are they?" asked Honey.

"Back at our camp." said Dawn.

"We're not smuggling crap, until we've seen them." said Honey.

Dawn sighed. "You'll follow me. You can verify the weapons, while I get patched up." Dawn pointed to Clementine. "But, she's not crossing into that part of town. So, I want Nick and Judy to watch her."

"Whoa, wait, Dawn. That doesn't sound like a good idea." said Judy.

"Yeah, bull crap! I'm not going with either one of them." said Clementine.

"Judy! Clem! No arguing." Dawn ordered.

"How do you know them?" asked Clem.

"I've known Judy since the start of the outbreak." said Dawn. "I know Nick through his brother, Gideon. Said if I was ever in a jam, I could rely on him."

"Was that before or after he left your little militia group?" Nick asked, sarcastically.

"He left you, too." said Dawn. "Gideon was a good mammal."

"Yeah, that's why he left your hopeless cause, because he knew it, better than anyone." retorted Nick.

Judy was about to go off on Nick for talking like that to Dawn, but Honey, thankfully spoke up, first.

"Look, just take 'em both to the north tunnel, and I'll meet you there." she said.

"I not gonna this." muttered Nick.

"She's just cargo, Nick." said Honey.

"Dawn-"

"That's enough." Dawn interrupted Clem. "You'll be fine. Now, go with him. You too, Judy. That's an order."

"Yes, ma'am." Judy nodded, firmly.

"Don't take long." Nick said to Honey, before turning to Judy and Clem. "You two, stay close. Let's go."

Nick, Judy, and Clem were met with several corpses of Firefly mammals, when they got out into the street.

"Yikes. I heard all the fighting outside, but... What really happened, here?" asked Clem.

"Fireflies. Same thing's gonna happen to us, if we don't get off the street, now." said Nick.

Nick led the girls down a subway tunnel, then back out into an alley. The building where they were supposed to go was right into view. Nick pushed a large dumpster, so they could get a boost to the fire escape, which was the best way into the building. The trio climbed up, and began working their way down the long hallway of the old apartment complex.

"So, this tunnel. You use it to smuggle things? Like, illegal things?" asked Clem.

"Yep." said Nick.

"Ever smuggled mammals, before?" asked Clem.

"Yep." said Nick.

"Kids?" Clem asked, again.

"Nope, that's a first. But, I can cross that off the bucket list, now." Nick smirked. "So, what's your deal with Dawn, kiddo?"

"I dunno. She's my friend, I guess. Like, with her and Judy." said Clem.

"Friends, huh?" said Nick. "Friends with the leader of the Fireflies. What're you, like twelve?"

"She knew my mom. So, she's been looking out for me." said Clem. "Also, I'm sixteen. Not that has to do with, anything. How old are you, and Judy?"

"Oh, I'm twenty-four." said Judy.

"Thirty-two." said Nick. "So, what happened to your parents?"

"What happened to anyone's parents?" Clem retorted, sarcastically. "They've been gone a long, long time."

"So, instead of just staying in school, you run off to join the Fireflies. Is that right?" asked Nick.

"Look, I'm not supposed to tell you why you're smuggling me, if that's what you're getting at." said Clem.

"You wanna know the best thing about my job? I don't gotta know why." said Nick. "To be honest, I could give a hoot about what you and the Fireflies are up to."

"Well, so long as we're all on the same page." Clem shrugged.

"Agreed." Judy stated.

"Okay." Nick agreed. "Here we are."

Nick opened the door, that led into the apartment, that was used as another secret way to the outside world. Nick threw himself on the couch, the minute they stepped in.

"What're you doing?" asked Judy.

"Killing time." said Nick. "The only way we're gonna do this, is at night. Besides, we need to wait for Honey, too. Need all the energy we need."

"Well, what're we supposed to do?" asked Clem.

"I am sure you'll figure that out." said Nick.

"In that case, come on, Clem. You like comic books? I got this one issue of 'Pig Hero 6' I didn't get a chance to read, yet." said Judy.

As Clem followed Judy to a nearby table, she noticed something curious about Nick, specifically, what he had on his left arm.

"Your watch is broken." she stated.

Nick muttered in acknowledgement, as he felt himself drifting into unconsciousness.

...

Nick snapped his eyes open. Another nightmare.

"You were mumbling in your sleep." said Clem. "I hate bad dreams."

"Yeah, me too." Nick mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Nick got up, and turned on a lantern to let some light into the room. Judy was sitting at the table, playing solitaire. Clem was sitting at the window, staring out at the border of the wall.

"Y'know, I've never been this close. To the outside." Clem pointed to the window. "Look how dark it is. It can't be any worse out there, than it is in here. Can it?"

Nick and Judy looked at each other, with nervous glances.

"What on earth do the Fireflies want with a kid like you?" Nick asked, hoping to change the subject.

Luckily, Honey came in before the awkwardness could continue. "Hey, sorry I'm late. Soldiers are everywhere." she said.

"How's Dawn?" said Judy.

"She'll make it." said Honey, then turned to Nick. "I just saw the merchandise. It's a lot. Ready to do this?"

"Yep. Let's go." Nick said, pointing for Honey to lead the way, then turned to Judy. "So, Carrots. Think it's a little strange Dawn chose us to do their smuggling?"

"Dawn wanted to do it, herself. You guys weren't her first choice, or her second, for that matter." said Judy. "We lost a lot of mammals. Beggars can't be choosers, y'know."

"For your sake and ours, hopefully there's someone still alive to pay us." said Nick.

"Someone will be there, don't worry." said Honey.

The girls stood on a wooden floor, which served as the lift to the tunnel, while Nick started up the generator, which powered up the lift, then pressed the switch for down.

"So, who's waiting for us at the drop-off? You know, Carrots?" Nick asked Judy.

"All I know is that they're group of Fireflies that traveled all the way from another city." said Judy.

"Girl must be important." said Honey. "So what is the deal with you? You some bigwig's daughter or something?" she asked Clem.

"You could say that." said Clem.

The lift stopped, and the group switched on their flashlights, as they navigated through the tunnel.

"So, how long is this gonna take?" asked Clem.

"If everything goes as planned, we should get you and Judy to them at sunrise." said Honey. "Now, Clem. When we get out there, I need you to do everything we tell you to. Okay?"

"Gotcha." Clem nodded.

The group made it to the ladder, and climbed up. Nick was at the lead, opening the hatch leading outside. Turning off their lights, they worked their way out into the rain. They were just a good yards away from the wall.

"Holy crap. I'm actually outside." Clem said, in awe, and feeling the rain on her fur.

"Alright, we'll cut through here." Nick pointed to an abandoned truck trailer.

The group worked their way up inside the trailer, to climb up the slope they had to get through. At the other open end of the trailer, Nick looked around to see the coast was clear. Just when Nick thought it was clear...

WHACK!

An elephant soldier knocked Nick to the ground with the butt of her rifle. She shined her rifle's attached flashlight to the girls. "Don't do anything stupid." she warned.

A rhino soldier appeared behind the three, his rifle raised at them, as they walked right beside Nick.

"Down. Hands on your head." ordered the rhino.

"This is Francine and Mchorn, at sector twelve. Requesting pick up for four stragglers." Francine spoke into her radio. "Understood."

"What's the ETA?" Mchorn asked, as he scanned Honey for infection.

"A couple of minutes." said Francine.

"Look the other way. We can make this worth your while." Honey persuaded.

"Shut up." grunted Mchorn, as he moved to Nick next. "Tired of hearing this persuasive crap, all the time."

Mchorn moved to Judy next, and scanned her, when he saw her necklace chain, sticking out of her collar. Mchorn pulled it off her, before she could stop him.

"Well, well. What have we here?" grinned Mchorn. "Damn Firefly. I'll deal with you, after I know you're friend is clean. Give you a few, extra seconds."

Just when Mchorn scanned Clem, Clem stabbed at Mchorn in the leg.

"Sorry!" she cried, and tried to wrestle his gun out of his hands, but got knocked down. Nick rammed into the rhino, knocking him down, and shot him in the face, like lightning speed. Francine, stunned at what just happened, raised her rifle, but was quickly shot down by both Judy and Honey.

"Oh, crap." said Clem, as she inched away from the scene before her. "I thought we were just gonna hold 'em captive, or something."

Honey noticed the scanner, and picked it up. Her eyes bulged out of their sockets. "Oh, crap. Nick, look at this."

Honey tossed the scanner to Nick, and Nick looked at the screen. It read positive.

"Sweet cheese and crackers." whispered Nick, then turned to Judy. "You and Dawn set us up?"

"What?!" Judy asked, disbelievingly.

"Why are we smuggling an infected girl?" Nick turned to look at Clem, who had a worried look on her face.

"I'm not infected." she insisted.

"No? So, this is lying?" Nick threw the scanner at her feet.

"You, next to her, now." Honey pointed her gun at Judy.

"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Judy held out her arms, but moved next to Clem, knowing better than not to comply when she saw how Honey had her gun pointed at her. "I had no knowing about this. The scan could be wrong. I've seen it happen, before."

"No, I got bit." said Clem. "But, I'm not infected. Just, let me explain."

"You better explain, fast." said Honey.

Clem pulled her sleeve up to show a blue colored vein bite mark on her right arm. "See this? It's three weeks old."

"No, everyone knows it takes one or two days to turn." said Honey. "So quit your bull crap."

"It's three weeks old! I SWEAR!" said Clem. "Dawn does know about this. This was her idea. Why would she set you up?"

"It does look pretty faded, and old." Judy said, looking at the bite. "I don't get why she told me, but, I'm sure Dawn had a good reason, if she didn't."

"Yeah, well, I don't care much. As a matter of fact, I don't buy it one bit." said Nick, looking away.

"Yeah, that's just the type of fox you are. Not to trust a rabbit's word." scowled Judy.

Nick turned, with a mean glare. "I DARE you to say that again, Rabb- Oh, crap."

Up ahead, Nick spotted the military backup, driving in a tank. "Guys, run. RUN!"

"Okay, go! GO, MOVE!" shouted Honey.

The group jumped down into a ravine. They followed a path down a small sewer tunnel. They emerged from the end of the sewer to see soldiers, pointing their rifles, and shining their flashlights at the ravine, scanning for the group. Sticking close to the wall, they snuck through the searchlights, crawling into another sewer tunnel.

Coming through, once more, they had to work through a completely destroyed building, where another squadron of soldiers were scanning the area. There wasn't many places to hide, save for some fences and furniture to hide behind. Working their way up, they crawled through a garage door, and out to another area where the soldiers were patrolling.

Up ahead, was another ravine, if they could just get to it, they'd be in the clear. Cutting through another destroyed building, they snuck past in the nick of time, just as soldiers were beginning to patrol that part of the area. They jumped down into the next ravine, and into another sewer tunnel. As they navigated through the sewers, up above the railings, they could see the military driving back to the QZ, meaning they've abandoned the search.

The group reached the end of the sewer, Nick opening the heavy gate to let the others through, and locking it, as the group stopped to catch their breath.

"Alright, they're gone." Nick panted.

"Alright, look. What was the plan?" Honey asked Clem. "Let's say, we bring you to the Fireflies, what then?"

"Dawn... She said that, they have their own little quarantine zone, with doctors there, still trying to find a cure." said Clem. "She said, that whatever happened to me, is the key to finding a vaccine."

"Yeah, we've heard that one before, huh, Honey?" said Nick, sarcastically.

"It's what she said." said Clem, matter-of-factly.

"Oh, I'm sure she did." said Nick.

"What is your problem?" said Judy. "Does putting other mammals spirits down somehow make you feel better about your own sad, miserable life?"

"So, what if it does?" said Nick. "Kind of like how you can't go without two minutes of pointing out how you don't trust us?"

"I never said I didn't trust you!" said Judy.

"Not out loud." said Nick. "I guess it's like you bunnies to forget about what you say about a certain fox, or foxes, in general, almost instantly. The sooner you forget about anything with foxes, the better. Am I right?"

"Hey, back off, man!" said Clem. "It's not like we asked for any of this!"

"Yeah, well, me neither." said Nick. "Honey, what the crap are we doing, here?"

"What if it's true?" said Honey.

Nick raised an eyebrow at Honey, with a face that said, 'Really?'

"Look, I'm saying 'What if', Nick?" said Honey. "Judy made some good points about Dawn, and Clem's bite. Look, we've come this far. So, let's just finish it. We can always check with the other Fireflies when we get there."

Nick took Honey by the arm, and pointed to the ruins of the city of Boston. "Do I need to remind you of what is out there?"

Honey turned to Judy and Clem, then back to Nick, with her own serious expression. "I get it."

Honey walked ahead, Judy and Clem following quickly behind, leaving Nick to ponder, 'Why me?' Then, Nick ran to catch up.

"Look, Capitol building's in this direction. We should be able to make it by sunrise." Honey said, pointing to a highway sign, that led to the capitol building.

"We hope." Nick muttered.

"Man, what do you think happened to all these buildings?" asked Clem.

"As soon as they started piling mammals into the quarantine zones, they bombed the cities and towns, hoping to clear out as much of the infected as possible." said Honey. "It worked, for a while."

From a far distance, a loud howling noise echoed, through the sound of the storm.

"Uh, what the heck was that?" said Clem.

"Honey, you heard that, too. Right?" said Nick.

"Yeah, but it sounded pretty far away." said Honey.

"Is that a good thing?" asked Judy.

"I'm not sure, but let's keep moving." said Honey.

The group stopped, as their path was met with a large gap, the result of a large bomb, in the effort to clear out savages, years ago.

"Was this the business district?" asked Clem.

"It is. Well, what's left of it." said Honey.

"Look, I see the capitol building from here." Nick pointed to the capitol building's golden roof, poking out in the distance.

"We're gonna have to cross that tall building to get to the capitol building." Honey pointed to a tall office building, but it was slanted right in front of them, another building, half it's size, holding it from falling any further.

"I don't trust that." said Judy.

"We'll be working our way down, not up." Honey reassured.

The group headed to the building, and entered through the open space where the windows would be, ending up in an office. The group began working their way down to the bottom of the building, having to cut across several offices, hallways, and staircases. On the way down, they discovered the shredded body of a boar soldier.

"Oh, boy. Look's like these guys decided to hold up in here. Body doesn't look that old." said Nick.

"Is that bad?" asked Clem.

"Let's not stick around to find out." said Judy.

"Yikes. Look at that." Clem pointed to the limb body of a savage snow leopard, with the top half of it's face covered in a giant Night Howler flower head, covering it's eyes.

"What's wrong with it's face?" asked Clem.

"That's what years of infection will do to you. We call them Howlers." said Judy. "They howl, like the name of the mutant flower that grows on them. They can see you if they hear you, so crawl or walk slowly."

"Sound, as in they see like bats?" asked Clem.

"Yep, just like that." said Judy.

Nick carefully pulled the body of the limb savage off the door. Nick pushed against the door, trying to unjam it from the vines that grew on it, left over from the body Nick moved, until finally, he got it free. The building began to rock a bit, as the group tried to regain their footing.

"Watch where you step. This whole building feels like it's about to come down." said Nick.

"Totally cool. Everything is totally cool." Clem tried to collect herself.

After traversing through another office, Nick and Honey pushed against another jammed door. Nick and Honey finally got the door open, as the large container blocking it from behind, fell down the chasm of the building.

"Nick!" Honey cried.

A fox Howler, drawn to the noise, piled onto Nick, trying to bite and claw at his face. Nick struggled to hold it off him, but was able to push it away. Honey shot the Howler twice, then helped up Nick.

"Are you okay?" Judy asked, showing concern for the fox, for the first time.

"I'm fine." Nick said, bluntly.

"Here, I'll put something together that should help." Judy pulled out some alcohol and a cloth, to make a makeshift cleaning bandage. Nick quickly patched himself up, and nodded in thanks to Judy.

"Oh, crap. That was intense." Clem exhaled, sharply.

"You said it." Honey agreed.

The group continued their way down, until they were met with the sounds of savages on the next floor, down. From a gape in the wall, they could see two beaver Runners, two zebra Stalkers, and one wolf Howler.

"Alright, Carrots. You and me will handle them, together. Honey, stay with the girl." said Nick.

"Sure you can trust me with this?" Judy asked, sarcastically.

"I'm serious, Carrots." said Nick, as he began his way down to the next floor.

Judy didn't argue, and followed.

Nick snuck up, and strangled the first Runner he found. Judy jumped, and stabbed the first stalker with her own makeshift shiv. The other Stalker heard that, and charged, but Nick gunned it down. The Howler howled, and charged at Nick, but Judy returned the favor, by shooting at the Howler. Picking up a large pipe, Nick whacked at the last Runner, until he squished it's face.

"Not bad, for a bunny." Nick panted, smirking.

"You too, for a fox." Judy panted, grinning back.

Honey whistled, as she and Clem joined them. "I gotta say, it's good to have you both around."

The group continued, but found their way down was blocked by a steep drop, with no other way around it. The group headed into the room to the left, where they found the body of another boar soldier, hanging from a ledge. It looked like they would have to climb up to find another way down.

Nick gave Honey a boost, and from there, she helped up Clem, then Judy, and then Nick. Down the hall to their right came the sound of another Howler. The group took cover behind a counter in the next room. The tiger Howler sniffed around the room, looking for the prey it heard. Honey quietly picked up an empty glass bottle, and threw it across the room. The sound of shattering glass lured the Howler towards it's direction. The group snuck towards another ledge, and climbed up, sneaking through the open gap in the wall, landing safely in a stairwell, and out of the Howler's senses.

"Okay, we're clear. Everyone okay?" Honey asked the group. Nick and Judy nodded.

"Clem, you okay?" asked Honey.

"Other than crapping my pants, yeah, I'm fine." said Clem.

Hopping over the railing to the next flight of stairs down, Nick pulled a large, metal drawer, blocking the path.

"Ladies, first." Nick grinned.

"What a gentle-fox." Judy grinned back, as the girls hopped down to the next floor, Nick following close behind.

Seeing their path blocked again, the group had to traverse out the window, and cross using the lifts used for cleaning the building windows. Next, their backs against the walls, inching on the tiny space of ledge, they jumped to the next lift. After struggling to regain their balance on the wobbly lift, they hopped back into the building, via another open window.

From there, it was smooth climbing down to the bottom of the building. The group switched on their lights, to see in the darkness that surrounded the last floor of the building to see they made it to the subway. There, that's where they found the body of a moose Firefly. On his person was a map, and a makeshift molotov. Nick took the molotov, while Judy read the map, which led to the capitol building, and a note was at the top.

"These guys are from the quarantine zone." said Judy, reading the note. "It says, _Be on the lookout for Dawn's second-in-command, and the girl, accompanying her. Second-in-command, Judy Hopps, Rabbit, Grey fur and purple eyes. The girl, a vixen, sixteen, orange fur and blue eyes. Make sure they're well fed, rested, and in good health. Top priority._ "

"Let's just hope there's someone still there at the drop-off." said Nick.

The group continued down the hall to the right, when the sound of Howlers echoed down the hall. One weasel Howler came into view, and the group ducked behind small, concrete walls. Luckily, savages weren't attracted to flashlights.

"We're almost out." said Honey. "Okay, Nick, Judy. You guys take the front. I'll take watch in the back. Clem, no matter what, you stay right on their heels."

"Okay." Clem nodded.

The group crouched down, and snuck slowly past the Howlers. The only way out was at an opening at the top of a ledge. A ladder was lying on the floor near the ledge, but a cat Howler was standing there, twitching.

Nick slowly approached the Howler, and stabbed it with his shiv. Quickly grabbing the ladder, and placing against the wall, the group climbed up, and through the opening in the wall, landing on the opposite side, near an old set of train tracks. The group proceeded up the slope of rubble, through the opening in the ceiling, and made it back outside on the street.

"Hoo-whee. I can't believe we made it through that." said Clem. "You guys are really good at this."

"It's called luck, and it is gonna run out." said Nick, bluntly. "Alright, so where to now, Honey?"

"Um, capitol building's in this direction." Honey pointed to the right, only to see a truck was blocking their way.

"Maybe there's something in there we can use for a lift up." Judy pointed to a large hole in the wall of a bricked building.

"Wait, I thought I heard something in there." said Nick.

Turning on his flashlight, Nick could make out the silhouettes of three savages. Nick brought out the molotov he picked up, and threw it, setting the savages ablaze, and they fell to the ground, consumed by the flaming liquid. The fire quickly burned out, leaving the bodies as smoking messes.

"Those soldiers looked like they just turned." said Honey.

"Then, let's not stick around, 'cause there'll sure be more around." said Nick.

Nick went inside the building, and came back out, pushing a large wooden crate on wheels, and placed it by the truck. The group climbed up and over, landing near a garage door, leading into an old museum they could use to cut across, to reach the capitol building.

Nick pulled on the chain, raising the garage door.

"Wait, I thought I heard something." Honey turned to hear the sound of a group of savages, headed right for them. "Okay, Nick. Double time."

Nick pulled the chain faster, and held it to hold the door open, just as the savages came into view. Judy, Honey, and Clem ducked underneath the door, and held it open for Nick to crawl through. A savage rabbit tried to get at Nick when he crawled through, but the door slammed down as soon as Nick was inside.

The group backed away as the savages were pounding at clawing at the door, luckily to no avail.

"Nick, you got something on your foot." Clem pointed to a severe savage rabbit arm, grasping at Nick's foot, which Nick kicked off, casually, luckily not landing a scratch.

The group worked their way out of the garage, and into the museum.

"Whoa, check out this place, and all this old stuff." Clem whistled in awe, looking at all the old sea-themed antiques and exhibits that survived the catastrophe, and left forgotten in the aftermath.

"So, Clem. If you don't mind me asking, how did you get bit?" asked Judy.

"Oh, I was in the mall when it happened." said Clem.

"That place is off-limits. How did you get in there?" asked Honey.

"Oh, I have my ways of sneaking in. I'd go in there to explore it, a bit. But then, there was a savage, a Runner, it bit me. Then, that was that. A couple days later, nothing." said Clem.

"Then, you just went to Dawn for help? Knowing her, I'm surprised she didn't shoot you." said Honey.

"She almost did." admitted Clem. "I hope she's okay."

"I told you, she's gonna make it." assured Honey.

The group worked their way up to the second floor, but found the way forward blocked by rubble. Nick used a nearby board, and pushed down to lift the rubble, to clear a path. Judy came up, and helped Nick hold it down. Only Honey and Clem made it through when the board broke, and more rubble came crumbling down. Nick and Judy backed away before any of it fell on them.

"Guys! You okay?!" Honey called.

"We're alright. We'll make our way to you." called Nick.

"Oh, no. They're here! Clem, run!" shouted Honey, as she and Clem ran from savages.

"Clem? Honey?!" called Nick. "Oh, crap."

"C'mon, we gotta catch up to them. I think that rubble cleared another way around through here." Judy pointed to a door that was blocked before, but not anymore.

Nick and Judy quietly trekked down the hallway, so not to draw the Howlers in the open room, next to them. They climbed the stairs, and at the top floor, they saw a raccoon Runner banging at a door to the right. Nick ran up, and smashed it's head on the wall, before it could realize what happened.

Nick kicked the door open, and saw a weasel Runner closing in on Honey. With a yell, Honey pushed the Runner off her, and smashed it's head with a two-by-four.

"You okay?" Nick asked, and Honey nodded.

"Guys, get in here!" Clem called from the other room.

Nick, Judy, and Honey ran up, and whacked the ferret Runner that tried to grab Clem. Several other Runners came into view, but Nick, Judy, and Honey stopped them in their tracks, by punching or shooting them down. When the coast was clear, the group caught their breath.

"You okay, Honey?" asked Nick.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little winded." said Honey.

"What about you and Carrots, kiddo? You two okay?" Nick asked Judy and Clem.

"Define okay." said Judy.

"You're still breathing, right?" said Nick.

"Do small, panicked breaths count?" asked Clem.

"Yeah, they count." said Nick.

"Alright, then we're okay." said Judy.

The group continued out the window, and up the fire escape, leading to the roof, where they could see the capitol building, in view. Grabbing a nearby long plank, Nick laid it between the gap of the two buildings to make a bridge.

"Alright, just be careful going across." said Nick.

Clem scoffed. Now, he was acting cautious towards her.

The group crossed, and stopped to look at the building ahead of them, the sunrise just peeking from behind it.

"So, that everything you and Clem were hoping for, Carrots?" Nick asked Judy.

"Jury's still out, but, man. You can't deny the view, though." Judy said in awe.

Nick nodded in agreement, for he hadn't seen a sunrise this awe-inspiring since...

"Hey, Nick. Let's pick it up. It's right down this ladder." Honey snapped him out of his thoughts. "We're almost done. Let's stay focused."

"Yes, ma'am." said Nick.

The group climbed down, and proceeded down another alley.

"Look, another Firefly." Clem to the body of an antelope Firefly. "What if something happened, and they're not there?"

"Don't worry. They will be." said Honey.

"How do you know?" asked Clem.

"I just do." insisted Honey. "It's gonna be alright. It has to be." Honey whispered that last part to herself.

The group climbed up another dumpster Nick found and pulled, for a boost up a scaffolding, and landed near a road, the capitol building just in view to their left, surrounded by water.

"Home stretch, ladies." said Nick.

"Hey, just so it's out there, I don't know how to swim." said Clem.

"Don't worry. It looks like it's shallow on this end. Just follow us, Clem." said Judy, as she and the group trekked through the waist-high water, and arriving at the steps.

"So, Honey, Nick. I know you guys are getting paid for this, but... I'm glad Dawn hired you." she said.

"What do you mean?" asked Nick.

"I'm just trying to say thanks, for getting us here." said Judy.

"Sure, thing." said Honey.

Climbing up the steps, the group entered through the doors. Hoping to be greeted by the Fireflies, the groups' hopes were diminished, when they were met with the bodies of fallen Fireflies, instead.

"No!" gasped Judy, covering her mouth with her paws.

"No, no, no!" Honey ran over to check for any survivors.

"Now, what do we do?" Clem asked Nick.

"Honey, what're you doing?" Nick asked his partner.

"Maybe, they, ah, had a map, or something. Something to tell us where they were going." said Honey.

"How far are we going to take this?" asked Nick.

"As far as it needs to go!" said Honey. "Where was this lab of theirs?" she asked Judy.

"Oh, I've never really been there, before, honestly." said Judy. "Most of my time was in other cities like Pittsburgh, or Dallas."

"Dawn never said where it was to me, either." said Clem. "She only mentioned it was someplace out west."

"What're we doing here? This is not us." said Nick.

"What do you about us? About me?" retorted Honey.

"I know that you are smarter than this." said Nick.

"Really?" said Honey. "Well, guess what. We're shitty mammals, Nick. It's been that way for a long time."

"No, we are survivors." said Nick.

"This is our chance to-"

"IT IS OVER, HONEY!" yelled Nick. Clem, Judy, and Honey flinched at the fox's outburst.

"Now, we tried. Let's just go home." Nick said, calmer.

"I'm not... I'm not going anywhere. This is my last stop." Honey gulped.

"What?" Nick asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Our luck had to run out, sooner or later." Honey said, turning away from Nick.

Nick reached for Honey's shoulder. "What are you going on about-"

"No, don't! Don't touch me." Honey warned, stopping Nick from grabbing her.

Judy's face lit up with a horrible realization.

"Oh, sweet cheese and crackers." she gasped. "Nick, she's infected."

Nick turned to Honey, with a look of shock and disbelief.

"Nick..." Honey looked at the fox, feeling heartbreak over the news washing over her partner.

"Show it to me." said Nick.

"Nick, I didn't mean for this-"

"Let. Me. See. It." Nick said.

Honey pulled back the collar of her shirt to reveal the bite mark on her shoulder, the one she got from the Runner at the museum, before Nick and Judy found her and Clem, again.

"Oh, crap." Nick gasped.

"Oops, right?" said Honey, then she walked over to Clem. "Let me see your arm."

Honey pulled up Clem's sleeve to show her bite mark. "This was three weeks." she pointed. "I was bitten an hour ago, and it's already worse. This is freaking real, Nick!"

"Nick, you and Judy have got to get Clem to Gideon's." Honey said, standing to face Nick, again. "Gideon used to run with this crew. He'll know where to go."

"No. No, no, no." Nick insisted, otherwise. "This is your's and Carrot's suicidal crusade. I am not doing that!"

"Yes, you are." said Honey. "Look, there is enough here, that you have to feel some sort of obligation to me. So, you get them to Gideon's."

Judy's ears perked up, hearing something from outside. Judy ran to the window to see the military driving in trucks, and stopping short at the steps.

"Guys, the military's here." said Judy, running back to the group.

"Dammit." Nick muttered.

Honey withdrew her pistol. "Go. I can buy you guys some time, but you need to leave, now." she said, determination on her face.

"What? You want us to just leave you here?" said Clem, in disbelief of what she was hearing.

"Yes." Honey insisted, again.

Nick protested. "There is no way that-"

"I will NOT turn into one of those things!" Honey stopped Nick's sentence short. "C'mon, make this easy for me."

Nick shook his head. "I can fight."

"No! Just go!" Honey pushed Nick. "Just freaking go, already."

Nick shook his head one last time. Nick didn't like this, but he knew Honey was right, deep down. Nick turned to Clem and Judy. "Girls. Get ready to get a move on."

Clem couldn't stand seeing what was happening in front of her, and it made her feel guilty. "I'm so sorry. I-I didn't mean for this." she pleaded.

"Clem, we need to go, now." said Judy.

Nick, Clem, and Judy ran to the other end of the hall, when Honey called to Judy, making her stop at the back door.

"Judy. Look after Slick for me, too. Okay?" she called.

Judy silently nodded, biting back her lip. "Thank you." she whispered, before disappearing behind the door.

Taking a deep breath, Honey turned to the front door.

"We know you're in there! Drop your weapons, and come out with your hands up!" a soldier ordered.

Honey raised her gun, as the soldiers kicked the doors open, piling into the hall, towards Honey Badger...

 **Whew, boy. I think this is the longest chapter I've written in a fanfic, EVER. I hope you guys enjoyed it.**

 **I own nothing, except a few OC's. All rights go to original owners. No copyright intended.**

 **Stay tuned for more of this fanfic. Thanks.**


	4. Chapter 3: Ghost Town

**Hey, guys. I'm back with the next chapter. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Been busy enjoying the holidays and what I got on the holidays, is all. So, before I start, to answer the questions for AmythestDreams1991's review, No, I am not crossing over Telltale's The Walking Dead with this, nor Left 4 Dead series. The character Clementine, replacing Ellie, is an inspired OC. Also, a guest reviewer requested to add an OC of their own into the story. It depends on what kind of OC it is, so if you can tell me what kind of OC it is, I'll consider it. Other than that, thanks for your patience, reviews, favs, and follows, as this story continues. Please enjoy. Oh, and by the way, Happy new year, guys.**

Nick closed the door behind him, sighing heavily.

"What the crap?! I can't believe we did that!" exclaimed Clem. "We just left her there to die."

"Stop! Please, stop." said Nick. "We need to get moving, now."

The trio ran up a flight of stairs, leading to the second floor. From behind them, they could hear gunshots, and the sound of Honey screaming. Unfortunately, they had to cut across the balcony that led back to the main hall. There, they saw the soldiers piling into the room, and they could see Honey's body shot down in her own pool of blood, but not before she took out two of their soldiers.

Nick knew they couldn't stay any longer, for two reasons, one of those reasons was the scene before him brought back awful memories. Leading the way, the trio snuck to the right of the balcony, and began working their way down to the right wing of the capitol building. The trio had to take cover behind a table, as their only way out, up ahead, was blocked by more soldiers.

"Nick, what're we gonna do?" whispered Clem.

"It's okay, Clem. Just follow me, and both of you, lay low." whispered Nick.

The trio crawled to the left, leading to other rooms. Nick's plan was to go around the soldiers, instead of through. There was no way they would take on heavily armored soldiers, who had more ammo and guns then them, all of them by themselves. A rhino soldier was blocking the back door, but luckily, there was a window that led outside. Using the tables and furniture in the room as cover, they made it outside, and made a quick beeline for the subway entrance.

However, one soldier caravan truck spotted them, and began shooting at the trio, who jumped down into the subway, just in time. However, up ahead were Night Howler Spores. Nick and Judy threw on their gas masks, and Clem took them by the arms, as they took cover behind rubble, went she pointed out to two gas mask wearing lion soldiers patrolling the area.

When Nick looked at Clem, he noticed she wasn't wearing a gas mask, and she was breathing just fine.

"HOW are you breathing in this stuff?!" Nick whispered.

"I wasn't lying to you." Clem whispered back.

Nick shook his head to regain focus on the soldiers. Nick and Judy snuck up, and ambushed the lions, taking them out with their shivs. Once the coast was clear, the trio worked their way down the left side of the tunnel, only to stop when they found the path was flooded.

"Um, I can't swim. Isn't there another way around?" asked Clem.

"Wait here. I'll find one." Nick dove into the water, and found a large pallet, floating in the water that he could use to push Clem on. When Nick got back, Clem had found a new flashlight to attach onto her backpack.

"Alright, kid. Get on." said Nick.

"Really?" Clem gave a look that said, 'you've gotta be kidding me', when she saw the pallet.

"Clem, please." said Nick.

Clem did as she was told, and Nick pushed her to the opposite side of the tunnel. Clem climbed up, and lowered a ladder for Nick and Judy to climb up. The trio proceeded up a flight of stairs that led back outside. Once they were in the clear, Nick and Judy took off their masks, and sat by a tree to catch their breath.

Judy sat back up to face Nick, concern etched all over her face. "Hey, Nick. Look, um, about Honey..." she started. "I... I don't know how to say-"

"Here's how this is gonna play out, Carrots." Nick interrupted Judy. "You don't bring up Honey. Ever. As a matter of fact, we can just keep our history to ourselves. Secondly, don't tell anyone you're a Firefly. Clem, don't tell anyone about your... condition. They'll think you're crazy, or just try to kill you. Lastly, you both do what I say, when I say it. Repeat it back to me, if we're clear."

Judy, who didn't take orders from anyone other than Dawn, scowled, but knew better than to argue, after what just happened. So, she'll go along with it, for now.

"Sure. What you say, goes." said Judy.

"What you say, goes." Clem repeated, too.

"Fine." Nick said, standing up. "Now, there's a town a few miles north of here. I have a friend who lives there. Good chance he could give us a car. Let's move."

...

The sun had started to go down, as the trio walked down the highway.

"There it is." Nick pointed to a sign that read, 'Welcome to Lincoln, Massachusetts'. "We'll cut through here."

Nick, Judy, and Clem hopped over a highway railing, which led to a path through the woods.

"Wow. Haven't gone walking through the woods in a long time." Clem stated, in wonder. Just then, small lightning bugs flew around her head. "Oh, look. Fireflies. Real fireflies."

"Yep. Better than the ones with guns, right?" Nick smirked.

"Har, har." Judy sarcastically laughed, and scowled.

"Speaking of which, why didn't you just take me and Judy back to Dawn?" Clem asked Nick, as they continued walking.

"If she were up to the task, why did she leave you with us?" asked Nick.

"Well, maybe she's better, now." said Judy.

"Ladies, I don't wanna crush your spirits, but your friend's chances of survival seemed to be pretty slim." said Nick.

"Well, I've known Dawn since the start of the pandemic, and I know she's a lot stronger than you think." said Judy.

"Well, it don't matter. Besides, I doubt I could get either one of us three back into the city in one piece." said Nick. "Trust me, I wish there was some other way."

Soon enough, the trio were out of the woods, and near a gate that led into the town, but was locked. Nick found another way in, via climbing up a small building, and crossing to another roof on top of a large plank, just above the fence. As they made their way through, they could see the whole town from where they stood, bathed in the light of the sunset. Nick squinted, and shielded his eyes to see a smoke stack in the distance.

"Is that you, Finnick?" Nick asked himself.

"Where do you usually meet him?" asked Judy.

"Oh, you know. Wherever, whenever." said Nick.

"You've never been here before, haven't you?" Judy smirked at Nick.

"I know this is the place where he lives, but, no. I've never been here." said Nick.

"And that stack of smoke, you think that's him?" asked Clem.

"Sure as sugar, better be." said Nick.

The trio worked their way down the building, and towards the center of town, only to find another locked gate.

"Hey, I got an idea. Boost me up." Clem pointed to an opening in the fence.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea." said Nick.

"Well, me and Judy can't boost you up. How else will we get through?" asked Clem.

"Alright." Nick nodded, knowing she was right, and boosted Clem over the fence, who then unbarred the gate.

"Thank you, Clem. Good job." said Nick.

"You're welcome." Clem smiled, at Nick's appreciativeness. "So, say we get a car from this buddy of yours, then what?"

"Then, we go find Gideon." said Nick.

"Dawn said he was your brother?" asked Judy.

"Yes, more importantly, he was a Firefly. He'd know where to take you." said Nick. "Gideon lives far from here, all the way out in Wyoming, last I heard. So, that's why we need the car."

"Gotcha." said Clem.

What Nick didn't tell Judy and Clem was that Gideon was really his brother-in-law, Cassie's younger brother. However, there were times Nick considered Gideon a true brother to him, and like he told Clem and Judy, they keep their histories to themselves.

The trio walked down the road that made up the downtown area of Lincoln, all the while looking for supplies, while searching for Finnick.

"Hey, look. Gnomes!" Clem pointed to a garden, which contained garden decorations, like figurines of tiny, fairy-tale creatures, like gnomes.

"Yep, those are gnomes." said Judy. "I had an art book filled with those, one time. Not fairies, though. They always creeped me, out."

"C'mon, we'll see if there's anything in these two buildings." Nick pointed to an abandoned bar, and music store.

In the bar, Judy and Nick found some supplies, while Clem found something even better. An old arcade game machine, which had her favorite game, 'The Turning'.

"No way." whistled Clem. "Wish the power was on around here, so I could play it."

"You played that game, before?" asked Nick.

"No, but I had a friend who knew everything about it." said Clem. "Apparently, there's this character in the game, called Angel knives, and what she would do was, what was it? Oh, she'd punch a hole through your stomach, before roundhouse kicking your head off."

"That sounds graphic for an old arcade game." said Judy, a look of awkward discomfort on her face.

"I was never a big fan of these games, anyway." said Nick.

In the music store, Judy was more absorbed with helping Clem finding favorite music, then looking for supplies with Nick.

"It just seems so sad." stated Clem. "There's all this good music, and no one's listening to it. I dunno, it just doesn't feel right."

"I'll agree with you, there." said Judy, holding up a Gazelle CD. "I mean, Gazelle is my favorite. I can only hope she's still out there, pulling through, too."

"Oh, my God!" shouted Nick.

"What?! WHAT?!" Judy panicked, her and Clem turning to face Nick, with worry etched on their faces.

"The Velvety Pipes of Jerry Vole." Nick smirked, holding up an old, classic CD. "But, this is on CD, too. Who'd wanna listen to this, on CD?"

Judy went from worried, to annoyed. Clem just smirked at his joke. "Sarcasm. Making progress."

With the supply search done, for now, they continued down the street to looking for Finnick. Down the road were fences, securing a perimeter, and the bodies of Savage mammals, brought down by arrows to the head.

"Whoa. Finnick good with a bow?" Clem pointed to the bodies.

"I reckon so." said Nick. "Those fences look like his handiwork."

"Anyone else you know that lives here?" asked Judy.

"So far I know, it's just him." said Nick.

Just then, the sound of a Clicker could be heard down an alley. An antelope Clicker came strutting out of the alley, then turned to the trio's direction, but suddenly...

BOOM!

The Clicker exploded into a million pieces.

"Whoa nelly! What the shit was that?!" exclaimed Clem.

"That, would be one of Finnick's traps." Nick pointed to a make-shift bomb, which looked to be made out of an old can, and shards of scissors, attached to a telephone pole. A thin line used to trigger the trap, was attached to the can, all the way to a lamp post.

"Yeesh. You're friend paranoid, much?" said Judy.

"That's putting it, mildly." said Nick.

"So, what's with the deal with this guy?" asked Clem.

"Finnick's good with knowing how to find things." said Nick. "He'd help smuggle things into the city."

"Let's hope we don't end up getting blown up, trying to find him." said Clem.

"Just stay close, and keep up." said Nick. "Just to warn you, Finnick's not the most... Stable of individuals. So, when we get there, you two let me do all the talking. He's a good guy, just need some time to get used to, that's all."

Judy and Clem nodded.

"Hey, what's that?" Clem pointed to a sign, with big letters on top, that read, 'Mandatory Evacuation'.

"Mandatory Evacuation. Evacuate to where?" Clem wondered.

"Where do ya think? Quarantine zone." said Nick. "See, some towns got a heads-up before the infection hit."

"Must be tough, leaving all your stuff behind, like that." said Clem.

"That ain't the hard part..." Nick sighed. "C'mon, I think we can get through, this way."

The trio made their way through an old garage, when suddenly, as Nick opened the door...

SNAP!

Nick found himself being pulled up into the air, his feet tied together by a rope.

"Nick! Are you okay?!" shouted Judy.

"Yeah, I'm fine." said Nick, dangling upside down. "Aw, dammit, Finnick."

"What just happened?" exclaimed Clem.

"Another one of Finnick's stupid traps." groaned Nick. "Look, there. That fridge looks like the counterweight. See if you can cut it loose, Clem."

"On it." Clem said, as she climbed up the fridge, and used her switchblade to saw at the rope, that wrapped itself all around the fridge. Suddenly, an all-too familiar sound was heard from the nearby fences.

"Guys, Savages!" shouted Clem. "They're trying to get through the fences!"

"Judy, you and me'll hold them off! Clem, just focus on the rope!" Nick said, pulling out his pistol.

Judy and Nick opened fire on the Savages, but for every one they got, two or three more started piling in their place. Clem was nearly done, until she lost her balance, and fell, the fridge falling onto it's side, which made the rope pull Nick slightly higher by his feet.

"Clem, you okay?!" shouted Judy, running to the teenage vixen.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, lost my balance." said Clem, hopping right back onto her feet. "Look, there's some cases of ammo, here." Clem tossed a magazine to Judy, and a magazine to Nick, before returning to cutting the rope.

"Alright, thanks. Hurry!" said Nick, resuming to fire at the infected mammals.

"Almost done!" Clem shouted, sawing faster than ever.

"Anytime, Clem!" Judy shouted, nervously. From her side, Judy caught a red panda Clicker running up to her at the last second, and grabbed it's arm, to stop it's advance.

"Stay off her, you son of a bitch!" Nick shouted, shooting at the Clicker, until it fell, full of bullets.

A leopard Runner charged at Nick, and Nick held it at the throat to hold it back, while Judy shot it down, returning Nick's favor of saving her from the Clicker.

"Okay, got it!" Clem shouted, as the rope broke, and Nick fell free, the rope loosened around his feet. "Nick, look out!"

A snow leopard Runner had Nick pinned down, Nick struggling to keep it off him, until something, or someone, sliced off the Runner's head. Nick pushed the decapitated Runner's body off him, and looked up to see a fennec fox, with blond fur and big ears, wearing a gas mask, dark brown pants, brown gloves, a white hoodie, a blue outdoor vest, and a blue backpack. In his paw was a machete.

"Get off your tail, and on your feet!" The fennec fox, Finnick, pulled Nick up, and the four made a run out of the garage.

Piling over through a truck, and through a laundromat, the four mammals had to outrun the pack of Savage mammals, some they had to fight to clear the path. Finally, they reached Finnick's safe house, and Finnick slammed the heavy, metal door, sealing it shut, just as another antelope Clicker was right on their heels, but bounced right off the door, after slamming into it.

"Oh, man. That was close." huffed Clem. "Um, thanks for the heroics, back there."

Finnick turned to face her and Judy, taking off his gas mask, revealing his large amber eyes.

"Uh, I'm Clementine." Clem extended her arm for a handshake.

"I'm Judy." Judy introduced, indicating for a handshake, too.

Before they realized what happened, Finnick grabbed their arms, and hand-cuffed them around a pipe on the wall.

"Hey, what're you doing?!" Judy yelled, trying to get free.

"Nick! Help!" Clem shouted, pulling at the pipe.

"Finnick, what're you-" Nick was interrupted by Finnick's gun pointing at him.

"Turn around, and get on your knees!" ordered Finnick.

"Okay, Fin. Just calm down, here-" Finnick interrupted Nick again, with a swift kick to his leg, sending the taller fox down to the smaller fox's level.

"I said, turn around, and get on your knees!" Finnick ordered, again. "Don't test me!"

Finnick began scanning all over Nick's body. "You got any bites?! Anything sprouting?!"

"No, dammit! I'm clean!" exclaimed Nick, annoyed.

"Well, I swear, if I see so much as a twitch-"

SNAP!

Finnick turned to see the girls broke off the pipe, and Clem whacked him on the arm, making him drop his gun. Clem prepared to swing again, but Nick caught the pipe, prompting her to stop.

"Ow, son of a-" Finnick shouted, wincing at the sore spot on his arm.

"Now, are you done, yet?!" Nick said, pointing the pipe at Finnick.

"Wha- am I done?!" Finnick exclaimed, disbelievingly. "YOU come into MY house! YOU set off all of MY traps!" Finnick turned to Clem and Judy. "YOU nearly broke MY shooting arm! Who are these two punks, and what're they doing here?!"

"We are none of your damn business! We're only here, because you owe Nick some favors!" Clem shouted, shaking her cuffed arm. "Well, you can start by taking this off us!"

"Clem, calm down. Finnick, could you, please?" said Nick.

Finnick shook his head, and tossed a key to Nick, who un-cuffed Judy and Clem free.

"I owe Nick a favor. What is this, some kind of joke?" Finnick grunted, then started sharping his machete.

"I'll cut to the chase. I need a car." said Nick.

Finnick scoffed. "So, it is a joke. Nick needs a car. Well, if I had one that works, which I don't, what makes you think I'd just give it to you? Yeah, sure, Nick. Take my car. Oh, take all of my food too, while you're at it."

"By the looks of it, you'd probably need more food than you already have. How else you gonna grow up to be a big boy?" Judy retorted, sarcastically.

Finnick angrily pointed his machete at Judy. "Now, you listen to me, you little shit!"

"No, screw you! You hand-cuffed us!" shouted Clem.

"Hey!" Nick pulled Clem and Judy back to break up the fight. "I need you both to shut up."

Judy and Clem shrugged off Nick's grip, with annoyance on both of their faces.

"We're not gonna stand here and take that, Nick. He's your friend, so get him under control." Judy stated, sternly.

"Okay, alright. I understand." Nick said, then turned back to Finnick, once things cooled down.

"Whatever favors you think I owe you, they ain't worth that much." said Finnick, sharpening his machete, again.

"Actually, Finnick, they are." said Nick.

"Well, it don't matter. Because, I don't have one that works." said Finnick.

"But, you do know where to find one in this town." said Nick.

"Parts! I know where to find parts for a car in this town." Finnick specifically stated.

"Meaning, you can fix one up." Nick stated back.

"Alright, look." Finnick put his machete back in his pack, and laid a map of Lincoln on the table. "If we're gonna do this, there's some gear I'm gonna need. It's all on the other side of town, though. Now, you help me go gather it, and maybe I can put something together that runs. But, after that, I owe you nothing."

"Fine by me." said Nick.

"Good. Now, come on. Whole damn town's booby-trapped. Best stay right on my tail. Let's move." Finnick said, walking to the back door.

"Which tail is he talking about?" Clem smirked.

"Knock it off." Nick said, leading her away.

"Yeah, that was pretty gross, Clem." said Judy.

"I'll take that as a compliment on the joke. Thanks, Judy." Clem winked.

Nick sighed, and shook his head. This was gonna be a long afternoon for him...

 **Well, guys. I think this'll be a good stopping point for this chapter. Next one will have plenty of more action. By the way, anyone else think Finnick is genius to fit the role for Bill? Hope you enjoyed it.**

 **I own nothing, except a few OC's. All rights go to original owners. No copyright intended. Stay tuned for more of this fanfic. Thanks.**


	5. Chapter 4: Whole New Territory

**Hey, guys. I'm back with the next chapter, already. Not much to jot down on this note, except, please enjoy.**

"Alright. Whatever supplies you may want or need, I suggest you grab them." said Finnick.

"Thanks, Finnick. You know the drill, ladies. Find something we may use later." said Nick.

"Can't believe you agreed to this, Fin. What you should've done was just left them, back there." Finnick muttered to himself.

"You weren't kidding about this guy." Clem whispered to Nick.

"Yeah, dude acts like he has a huge stick up his tail." whispered Judy. "No pun intended, Clem."

"I'm not saying anything." Clem grinned.

"Yeah, Fin's one of a kind." Nick agreed. "Just stay close to me, both of you."

After grabbing everything they think they needed, they walked in Finnick's direction, when Clem noticed a chess board.

"Hey, guys. Check this out." Clem pointed to the board. "Any of you two know how to play?"

"My dad tried to teach me." said Judy.

"I know how, but pretty badly at it." admitted Nick.

"Always wanted to learn." Clem gazed at the white pieces, and hovered her paw over to see which move was the best. The white pieces were close to winning against the black pieces.

"Hey, Bobby Fischer! Don't touch anything on that board!" yelled Finnick.

"Bobby who?" asked Clem.

"Don't pay much mind to it. We better get moving." said Nick.

"You got everything you need? If so, let's go." Finnick said, leading the way. "Close the door behind you, while you're at it."

Finnick led the group through the ruins of the diner, up the stairs, and through the apartment where the owners of the diner previously lived in. The group crossed the roof that connected to a next door bakery with an apartment of it's own, then down to the kitchen. Inside, a low moaning could be heard.

"Wait, is that a Runner?" Judy whispered, stopping the group in their tracks.

"Oh, sorry about that. That one fell into one of my traps, earlier. Been meaning to take care of it." Finnick said, pulling out his machete.

In the main part of the bakery, Finnick chopped off the head of a red panda Runner, which was pinned down by a heavy contraption of debris.

"So, what're you really doing out here, Nick? Where's Honey?" asked Honey.

"This is a solo drop-off, this time. Plain and simple." said Nick.

"Really? I thought you two'd be inseparable. But, I guess it sounds like trouble in paradise." said Finnick. "So, what're you dropping off? That cute, little bunny, and the brat, too?"

"You're gonna refrain from calling me cute." scowled Judy.

"Ha, ha. Yeah, screw you, too." Clem sarcastically chuckled.

Finnick genuinely chuckled at the girls' tough demeanor. "I really hope you know what you're doing."

Outside, there were several of abandoned cars, but also Savages. Nick, Judy, and Finnick immediately sprang into action, Clem standing by Nick's side, ready to back him up, holding a brick in one paw, which she used to stun a zebra Runner, her switchblade in another, which she used to stab at an antelope Howler, before it could bite Nick. By the time the coast was clear, Finnick had taken out most of the Savages. Even for his size, he was faster than the mutated mammals, chopping off their heads, or impaling their torsos, with ease.

"Boy, you picked a heck of a place to hold up, Fin." Nick said, catching his breath, and nodding a thanks to Clem.

"Yeah, well, as bad as these things are, at least they're predictable." said Finnick. "It's the normal mammals that scare me. You of all mammals should understand that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Judy.

"Nothing." Nick evaded her question. "So, where're we going, first?"

"My other safe house. It's right through there. More of an armory." Finnick pointed to a gate, leading to a staircase, going up the hill, to a church.

"I thought we were going to fix a car?" asked Clem.

"We?" scoffed Finnick. "You know how-"

"Fin." Nick interrupted, not wanting to get into another argument.

"Like I said, what we need is on the other side of town. Now, that side I don't go to, 'cause it's overrun with Savages, so we need more guns." said Finnick.

"Well, why don't you fix one of these cars?" asked Clem.

"Oh, my God. You're a genius. I mean, all this time, why didn't I bother to fix one of these cars?" Finnick sarcastically stated.

"Okay, no need to sound like a douche about it." said Judy, crossing her arms.

"Their tires are all rotted, and the batteries are all drained. Can't even begin to imagine what the inner engineering looks like. Only ones making new cars these days are the military." said Finnick.

"Are you done?" asked Clem.

"That reminds me, Finnick. You gotta reinforce the fences, again. Seeing as what happened with the Savages, just a minute ago, it doesn't pay to double-check the fences. You ignore the simple crap, and now you're paying for it." muttered Finnick.

"Okay, now he's talking to himself." Clem whispered to Nick.

"Yeah, he does that a lot. Finnick?" said Nick.

"Nick? Right through here." Finnick led the trio through the gate, up the steps, and towards the church basement doors.

"You don't touch anything." Finnick pointed to Clem, then pointed to Nick. "You, close the door behind you."

Finnick walked to a table, and turned on a lantern to shed more light in the room. "Okay, let's gear up." he said.

Nick stopped Clem from reaching for a pistol. "Hold it. Remember what Finnick said?" said Nick.

"What? I need a gun to protect myself, too." said Clem.

"No, you don't. You got your knife." said Nick.

"Nick. I know how to use a gun. I can handle myself." Clem stated, boldly.

"I said, no. Now, just wait here." Nick stated, sternly.

"Fine, I'll just wait around for you three to get me killed." Clem sarcastically spoke out loud.

"Psst. Clem." Judy whispered.

Clem walked over to Judy, as she handed her a 9mm pistol gun. "If he doesn't know about it, he can't take it away."

Clem reached for it, but Judy pulled it back. "It's for emergencies, only." said Judy.

"Okay." Clem genuinely agreed, hiding the pistol in her pack. "Why don't you let me use the bow, instead? I'm a pretty good shot with that thing."

Judy looked at the bow, and the quiver of arrows she selected for herself. "First, you need to show Nick you can prove to be responsible." she said. "Now, the safety on the pistol's turned on. You know how to turn it off, right?"

"I do. You don't need to worry, okay? You trust me, right Judy?" said Clem. Judy nodded.

Unknown to the girls, Finnick overheard the conversation with his big ears, but decided not to bring it up with Nick. It wasn't his business, nor his problem, anyway.

"Welp, this goes on as the worst job you've ever taken." Finnick said to Nick.

"Yeah, it's up there." said Nick.

"How is Honey even okay with this suicide mission?" asked Finnick.

"It was actually her idea." said Nick.

"Really? Well, I guess the broad's not as smart as I thought she was. But, screw her." said Finnick. "Seriously, Nick. You gotta take that kid, and that rabbit back to where you found them."

"Fin, I can't just take them back." said Nick.

"Then, send them packing. Let 'em find their own way." said Finnick.

"I can hear you, y'know." Judy called, pointing to her big ears.

Finnick ignored her by loading up the three shotguns he got out for himself, Nick, and Judy.

"Nick, let me tell you a little story." said Finnick. "Once upon a time, I had someone that I cared about. It was a... partner. Someone I had to look after. But, in this world, that shit's good for one thing, and one thing only. Getting you killed. So, you know what I did? I wisened up, and I realize, it's gotta just be about me."

"Fin, it ain't like that." stated Nick. "It's-"

"Bullcrap. It is just like that- Hey!" Finnick shouted to Clem, who was looking at a stack of magazines. "What'd I say to you when we walked down the steps?! What'd I say?!"

"I'm just fixing your stupid pile!" said Clem.

"Don't! Touch!" shouted Finnick.

Clem responded with giving the 'finger' to him.

"Aw, dammit." muttered Finnick. "You keep babysitting like this, and eventually, it's gonna blow up in your face!"

"Fin! Can we please just get on with it?" said Nick.

"Here." Finnick tossed a shotgun to Nick, and then one to Judy. "Let's get on with it. Oh, but first. Here, Nick. You'll need this." Finnick tossed an object to Nick that looked like the make-shift bomb that was used for the explosive trap on the Clicker he saw, earlier.

"A nail bomb. New toy from the toy box." said Finnick. "I always carry one or two around with me, in case. You gotta stand a good ways back, 'cause when that thing goes off, it shreds anything nearby."

"Yeah, I've seen your handiwork." Nick said, putting the nail bomb in his bag. "So, we got shotguns, and bombs. What're we doing with them?"

Well, every week, this military caravan comes driving down, searching for supplies. I mean, you'd be amazed at the shit that they overlook." said Finnick. "Anyhow, a few weeks back, one of their trucks gets overrun by this pack of Savages, and it plows right into the high school. Still sitting there with the battery inside."

"So, we take that battery, and we put it in another car." said Judy.

"Bingo." said Finnick. "I wanted to get it, but it seemed too dangerous with all the Savages, but screw it. Nick needs a car."

"What if it's damaged?" asked Nick.

"Nah. Those trucks are like army tanks. It's just still sitting there." said Finnick.

"That could work." agreed Nick.

"Alright, let's go." Finnick said, then turned to Clem. "Kid, I swear. If you took anything..."

"Hey, man. I don't need your crap, okay?" said Clem.

"Nick, you and Fluff over there are keeping an eye on her, right?" asked Finnick.

"Like hawks." said Nick.

The group headed up the stairs to see the rest of the cathedral, the main room still intact after all these years.

"After all these years, it still looks beautiful." whispered Judy.

"Well, if you got anything to confess, this be the place to do it." said Finnick. "C'mon, we'll climb down through the window."

The group climbed through the window, and onto the small roof, where they could see the high school in the view.

"Look, there it is." Finnick pointed out. "Alright, we got quite a walk. So, let's go."

The group hopped down, and made their way to the gate.

"Just beyond this gate is whole new territory, to me." said Finnick.

"Whoa." Clem noticed a pile of infected mammals, burned to a crisp.

"C'mon, Clem. You don't need to see that." said Judy.

"I've seen worse." said Clem.

The group past the gate, and crouched down, as the sound of Howlers filled the quiet air. The group snuck through the graveyard, which only made their demeanor filled with more dread. The group reached the other gate, Finnick quickly taking out the key ring, and unlocking it, as quiet as possible.

They continued down an alley, to avoid the houses up on the hill, where most of the Savages were gathered, luckily for them.

"You weren't kidding about this place, Fin." whispered Nick. "Wait, look. Through that garage."

Nick pointed to an open garage, with a side door that led to the rest of the neighborhood, since the alley was blocked by a truck, and a tree. When Nick went to open it, it was tied shut on the other end.

"Hey, maybe I can get through that." Clem pointed to a boarded up doggy door, the ones that canine, and sometimes, feline mammal toddlers use to get in and out easily, before they learn to open doors.

"Be very careful." Nick said, as he tore off the board. Clem nodded, and crawled through.

"Maybe, you should've given her a gun." Finnick said to Nick, but looked at Judy, who glared back.

"Okay, Fin." said Nick.

Clem opened the door, with a worried look on her face. "There's more of those Howler things near the house." she whispered.

Nick and Judy took out their knives, and Finnick brought out his machete. Two hyena Howlers were on the front porch. Nick and Judy made quick and quiet work of them with their knives, while Finnick snuck into the house, and chopped off the horse Howler's head.

"Ugh. I hate these freaking things." said Clem.

"How much farther is it, Finnick?" asked Nick.

"We're almost there. We go in, we get the battery, and we get out." said Finnick, as the group walked through the house, and out the laundry room door.

"Look, up and over that RV. We can cross through that plank." Finnick pointed out.

The group climbed up, crossed the plank, leading into the treehouse next door, and hopped down near the backyard's empty pool.

"So, how'd that get there? You got friends in this part of town?" Clem pointed back to the plank.

"No, but I have a good idea who might've come through there." said Finnick, as they walked into another house.

"Hey, Nick. You got a second?" Nick turned to face Clem.

"Look, um, I just wanna say I'm sorry. About Honey. Alright, that's all I wanted to say. I won't bring it up, anymore. I just wanted to tell you that, one time." said Clem.

"Clem." Nick put a gentle paw on Clem's shoulder. "You don't have to worry about me." Nick turned to Judy, and said, "You too, Judy. I'm okay."

Judy nodded, with a caring, concerned look.

"We should catch up to Finnick." said Nick. Judy and Clem nodded, again.

The group worked their way through their second house, and out of the garage, which brought them to the high school. The front parking lot was filled with fences, and school buses, with signs on their sides that read, 'QZ transport'.

"Look, there's the truck. Sticking right out of the high school." Finnick pointed to a military truck that broke halfway through the left wall of the building.

"Hold up, guys. There's Savages. I got this." Judy whispered, pulling out her bow. From where they were hiding, Judy took aim, and the arrows pierced right through the unsuspecting Savages.

"Good aim." whispered Finnick.

"Thanks." Judy whispered back.

"Alright, come on. Up that bus. There's a ladder on the roof." Finnick pointed to the bus, closest to the school, sticking out of the crashed fence.

"Nick, gimme a boost." Judy said, as they got to the bus. Nick helped Judy up, and she bounced onto the roof, with ease.

"Don't get killed up there." said Finnick.

"Thanks, Fin." Judy replied, as she lowered the ladder.

"Guys, more Savages!" Judy warned, as a pack was charging in their direction.

The group climbed onto the bus, and hopped down the opposite side of the fence.

"They're trying to get through the fence! We gotta get inside to get the battery!" yelled Finnick.

Nick rushed to the doors, but they wouldn't budge open. "They're locked from the inside!" he shouted.

"Nick, Jude! Hold' em back! I'll find another way in, around here!" Finnick shouted, and turned down to the right.

Nick and Judy held back the Savages that made their way through the holes in the fences.

"Guys, I found a way in! Through the window! C'mon!" Finnick called, and the group ran around back, and into the window.

Nick waited until the others made it inside, then he crawled in last, but then, a wolf Howler grabbed Nick by his tail.

"Nick!" Judy cried, and whacked the Howler's head with the butt of her shotgun, loosening the grip around Nick's tail, allowing him to fully crawl inside. Finnick blasted the Howler's head with his shotgun, and slammed the window.

"That's not gonna hold." said Clem.

"Neither is the door." Judy pointed to the locked doors, being forced open by the piling Savages.

"Girls, quick! Grab that ball rack! Fin, make it fast with the battery!" ordered Nick.

Finnick ran to pry the hood open, as Nick, Judy, and Clem braced against the ball rack, holding the Savages back behind the doors.

"Please, tell me you're done!" said Nick.

Finnick finally got the hood open, only to find no battery inside.

"Guys, it's empty!" said Finnick, wide-eyed.

"What?!" said Nick.

"The battery! It's gone!" shouted Finnick.

"Guys! We can't hold it back, much longer!" cried Judy.

"Finnick, where to?!" Nick said to the frantic Finnick. "Fin, where?!"

"Anywhere, but here!" Finnick cried.

"Get ready to haul tail, ladies! Move!" Nick said, as the group made a run for the door. They burst into the hallway, slamming and locking the hall doors behind them, just as the Savages broke through the outer doors.

"C'mon, we'll sneak out the back, through the gym." Finnick led the group down the halls, past several classrooms, and into the gym.

Nick, Finnick, and Judy braced the gym doors with a large gym tarp rack. Suddenly, a large, menacing noise could be heard at the front of the gym.

"That doesn't sound good." muttered Judy.

Through the doors came bursting out a Savage elephant, covered from head to toe in purple flower petals and yellow pollen. The elephant let out a gargled moan, and started throwing balls of pollen at the group, who took cover behind large stacks of boxes, left in the gym.

"What the fuck is that thing?!" shouted Clem.

"It's a damn Bloomer!" cried Finnick.

"A what?!" yelled Clem.

"Clem, stay hidden! We got this!" cried Nick.

"Nick, wait! The nail bombs!" shouted Finnick.

"Right! Judy, get it's attention! Me and Fin'll get it from behind!" cried Nick.

"On it!" Judy yelled, rapidly fired at the Bloomer.

The Bloomer's thick bulk made the bullets do little damage, but successfully turned it's attention away from the foxes. Nick and Finnick took cover behind two large stacks of boxes behind the Bloomer, and pulled the pins out of the nail bombs.

"On three!" said Finnick. "Ready? Three!"

Nick and Finnick threw the bombs, as they bounced off the Bloomer, who turned back to the two foxes.

"Judy, get down, now!" shouted Nick.

Judy ducked behind another large stack of boxes, next to where Clem was hiding, as the Bloomer exploded into a billion pieces. As soon as things turned quiet again, the group slowly crawled back out from behind the boxes.

"Sweet cheese and crackers, as you'd say, Judy." said Clem. "What was up with that big guy?!"

"He's been infected for a long time. We call them 'Bloomers'." said Nick.

"Bloomers. Gotcha." said Clem.

"I hate to interrupt for little biology lesson, but can we get out of here, now?! Please?!" said Finnick.

Nick boosted up Clem, Judy, and Finnick first onto the folded up benches, then Judy and Clem helped pull up Nick. The group hopped through the open window, and climbed down back onto the ground. The four made a run to the fence, and up the ladder leading into a nearby yard.

"Inside the house, now!" Finnick ordered, as he used a rake to push off the ladder, just in case, as the sound of Savages could be heard headed near the fence.

The group rushed inside, and slammed the sliding glass door, Finnick closing the curtain, to avoid the Savages spotting them inside.

"Well, that could've worked out better." Clem huffed, trying to catch her breath.

"C'mon, Clem. Why don't we gonna go check out this side of the house?" said Judy, leading the teenage vixen from the tension she could sense coming from Nick at Finnick.

"Finnick?" said Nick.

"Look, somebody had the same idea, and they stole my shit, first." said Finnick.

"Well, then what the crap is plan B?!" said Nick.

"You outta be thankful you're still drawing breath!" snapped Finnick. "That was plan A, B, C, all the way through freaking Z. Oh, and furthermore, you can tell Honey that-"

"Don't you bring Honey into this!" Nick snapped back.

"She can shove it right up her-"

"This has nothing to do with-"

Both foxes stopped arguing when Nick realized Finnick was looking at something behind him, catching his attention.

"Oh, my God." Nick whispered when he saw what was behind him.

Hanging from a ceiling, at the end of a noose, hung the body of a female fennec fox, with sandy blonde fur, long bangs on her head, covering her lifeless, sapphire eyes. She was wearing a pink Gazelle t-shirt, and a red kilt.

"You know this girl?" asked Nick.

"That's Sandy." said Finnick.

"Who's she?" Nick asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She was my partner." Finnick said, his voice cracking a bit.

Nick looked back and forth between Finnick and the body of Sandy, in shock and confusion.

"She's the only dumb blonde who'd where a hoodie that stupid." said Finnick, as he cut Sandy down, letting her body fall to the floor.

"She's got bites all over her. Here, and..." Finnick's lip quivered, as he pointed to the bites on her ears, hands, and feet.

"I... guess she didn't want to turn. So, she..." Nick whispered, pointing out the obvious, tragic case of what happened to the poor female fennec.

"Yeah, guess not." muttered Finnick, then he shook his head, and spat, "Well, screw her."

"Nick, Finnick! We found something!" Judy called from the opposite side of the house.

Nick and Finnick rushed into the garage to see Clem in the driver seat of a van, with a picture of a male and female wolf in medieval clothing, the male wolf holding the fainted female wolf in his arms. Clem turned the keys, and the sound of an engine sputtering to life.

"Check it out. It's still got some juice in it." smiled Clem.

"That's my battery." Finnick said, looking into the front of the van to see the same battery they were looking for in the first place.

"Why, that little bitch." Finnick grunted, and slammed the hood. "Out, now." he ordered Clem.

"Okay, okay." said Clem, letting Finnick step into the driver's seat, and turned the keys, the engine making that sputtering noise, again.

"Welp, the batteries are drained, but the cells are still alive." said Finnick.

"Meaning?" asked Judy.

"Meaning, we push it outside, get it running, and the alternator will recharge the battery." explained Finnick, stepping out of the van.

"Is that your guess?" asked Nick.

"Look, you're the one who wanted a plan B. Well, this is as good as it gets." said Finnick.

"So, what're you thinking?" asked Clem.

"Thinking you drive, and we push." said Nick.

"What the? That's more of my stuff!" Finnick looked into a bag to see a lot of ammo and food. "Is that it, Sandy? Run off, and take my stuff?"

"You gonna be okay with this?" Nick asked Clem, who sat in the driver's seat, again.

"Yeah, I've read all about driving. I actually drove a car, back in Boston, once." said Clem.

"I just want you to know, you and Judy have done a good job. Alright?" said Nick.

Judy and Clem's faces lit up with surprise, then smiled.

"I won't let you guys down with this." said Clem.

"Sweet fox." Judy teased.

"Don't get used to it, Carrots." smirked Nick.

"You might wanna check the house. See if there're more supplies." said Finnick.

"On it." said Nick, as he combed the house to find a few more supplies, food, and ammo, but Nick also found a note. Nick saw it was from Sandy, and to Finnick.

 _"Dear Finnick,"_

 _"I doubt you'd be too bold to come down to this neck of town. But, in case you did, I just wanna let you know I hated your guts. I grew tired of your crappy set-in-your-ways attitude, as much as I felt to this town. I wanted more from life than this, but you could never understand that. By the way, that stupid battery you kept muttering about, I got it. You were right, though. Trying to leave this town would end up killing me. Still, it beats spending another day with you. Good luck to you."_

 _"Love, Sandy"_

Nick finished reading, and walked back into the garage, handing the note to Finnick.

"Finnick, I... I found this in there, and... I thought you should have it." said Nick.

Finnick took the note, and quickly read it.

"So, that's how ya feel." whispered Finnick. "Well, screw you too, Sandy. Freaking idiot." Finnick crumpled the note into a ball, and tossed it aside. "You guys ready to go?"

Nick and Judy silently nodded, and moved to the back of the van. Finnick pulled up the garage door open, and joined the two in the back.

"Alright, shift her into gear." Finnick said to Clem. "Now, when we get to pushing, keep your hand on the clutch-"

"I know how to pop a clutch." said Clem.

"How do you- You know what, I don't care. Just don't screw it up." said Finnick.

The three mammals pushed, Clem stepped on the gas. Inch by inch, the van was starting to move. They made it up the hill, and pushed the van downward, the adrenaline was enough to spark the van to life, again.

"Ha, ha. Hear that sound, guys?" chuckled Nick.

"Music to my ears." grinned Judy.

"Yeah, well that means the Savages heard it, too. Let's get in the van, now!" said Finnick.

The three mammals ran down the hill, as Savages began emerging from behind the sides of houses, from both sides of the streets. Nick, Judy, and Finnick piled into the van, and slammed the doors shut.

"Go, Clem! Drive! Floor it!" ordered Judy.

Clem stepped on the gas, and the van sped away. The Savages gave chase, but were soon left in the dust. Finnick peeked out of the door to see the coast was clear, before closing it again, and sat back down, next to Nick and Judy.

"You three really fucked my day up. You know that, Nick?" Finnick half-chuckled.

...

An hour later, the van was right near Finnick's guarded part of the town.

Finnick knocked the wall of the van to get Clem's attention. "Alright, stop here. This'll do." he called.

Nick, Judy, and Finnick emerged out of the back of the van.

"Keep her running, okay?" Nick told Clem, who gave a thumbs up.

"That girl nearly got us all killed." said Finnick.

"You gotta admit, she held her own well, back there." said Nick, Judy nodded in agreement.

Finnick chuckled. "You ain't gonna make it, this long. Oh, by the way. Got something else for ya."

Finnick dug into his backpack, and tossed Nick a long, black siphon hose.

"What's this for?" asked Nick.

"You'd be amazed at how many cars still have gas in them." said Finnick.

"Appreciate it." said Nick. "Listen, Finnick. Um, about your girl back there... That's a tough deal, and I, uh..."

Finnick nodded back. "We square?" he asked.

"Yeah, we're square." said Nick.

"Alright. Then, get out of my town." said Finnick, as he started the walk back to his safe house, and back to his daily, lonely routine, tomorrow.

Judy turned to ask Nick what was their conversation about, since she wasn't in the room where they found Sandy, but Nick stopped her.

"Wait 'til we get in the van." said Nick.

Judy nodded. She knew, despite all they went through, if Nick considered someone like Finnick as a friend, then he couldn't be all that bad. She could tell they had a lot in common, when it came to hardship, and survival, and about their pasts, whatever their pasts were like.

Shaking her head clear to focus, Judy and Nick joined Clem back in the van. Clem sat in the back seat, Judy at the passenger side, and Nick at the wheel. The trio drove away from Lincoln, and away from Massachusetts, as they started the long, winding road toward Wyoming, and towards the Fireflies.

Up ahead, a storm was brewing, but all three knew a storm would be the least of their problems, from here on out.

 **Well, guys. That looks to be another good stopping point on this chapter. Next chapter will have the city of Zootopia itself, replacing Pittsburgh. However, it may just focus mostly on the Savannah Central area, since Pittsburgh in the game is probably the biggest level. Hope you're enjoying it, so far.**

 **I own nothing, except a few OC's. All rights go to original owners. No copyright intended. Thanks. Stay tuned for more of this fanfic.**


	6. Chapter 5: Endure and Survive

**Hey, guys. I'm back with another chapter. So, this long might be a bit more of a lengthier chapter like the one before the last two. So, other than that, hope you enjoy.**

It was raining cats and dogs as Nick drove the van through the empty highway. There were cars, but they were easy to pass around. Plus, most of them were off the side of the road, The only upside to many of them, meant they wouldn't run out of gas.

"Oh, man!" Nick and Judy heard Clem exclaim.

"Hey, what happened to sleeping?" Nick asked, looking up at the rearview mirror.

Clem leaned in between the space between the two seats to show an issue of 'Pig Hero 6'.

"Okay, I know it doesn't look it, but this has gotta be the best issue, so far." said Clem. "Except for one problem. Right here. 'To be Continued'. I hate cliffhangers."

"Hmm. I don't think I have that issue." said Judy. "Where'd you find that?"

"Um, back at Finnick's." said Clem. "I mean, all that stuff was just lying there."

Nick sighed. "What else did you get?"

"Oh, I'm sure you're friend will be missing this tonight." Clem grinned, pulling out a playboy magazine. "Light on the reading, but it's got some interesting photos."

"Uh, Clem. That's not for kids." said Judy.

"Whoa! How would she even walk around with that thing on?!" Clem exclaimed.

"Clem, get rid of that thing!" said Nick.

"Hold your horses! I just want a quick, little peek." said Clem. "Oh, why are these pages all stuck together?"

Judy's face had brightened up like a tomato, and she covered her mouth with her shirt, so she would laugh. Nick tried to talk, but found he couldn't, his face blushing, too.

"I'm just screwing with you, guys." Clem laughed.

"Buh-bye, dudette." Clem said, as she tossed the magazine out the window.

"Oh, I also got this." Clem pulled a Gazelle CD out of her backpack. "This make you all nostalgic?"

"I swear, this girl had her name on everything, back then." Nick chuckled. "Still, it's a winner, though."

Nick put in the CD, and the song, 'Try Everything', played first.

"Oh, boy. A dollar for every time I hadn't heard this one." Nick chuckled.

"Well, it's better than nothing. Plus, this is my favorite song." Judy grinned. "It was also the last number one hit she did, before the pandemic."

"Y'know what? It's not all half-bad." Clem agreed, and reached to turn up the volume a notch or two more.

"Why don't you try and get some sleep, okay? It's gonna be a long drive." said Nick, looking up to the sign that read, 'Zootopia- Next 212 miles'.

"I'm not even tired." said Clem.

...

Clem was out like a light as they got into Zootopia, driving through Savannah Central. However, up ahead was a whole mess of cars and trucks, blocking the path.

"Well, great." Nick muttered.

Clem sat up, yawning. "Now what?" she said, looking at the wreck, and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Your call, Nick. Since, you are the driver. Go back, or go to the right?" Judy pointed to a nearby highway exit.

Nick looked back to where they just came, to the blockage, and to the exit. Nick shook his head, as he made up his mind.

"Screw it. We'll go right." Nick said, turning the van down the exit.

Continuing through the city, they could see vines, trees, grass, and lots of vegetation covering the buildings, and growing out of the streets. Nick suddenly hit the brakes, as a lone wildebeest came limping out onto the street, holding his side in pain, and calling for help.

"Aren't we gonna help him?" asked Judy.

"Clem, Carrots. Put your seatbelts on, now!" said Nick, with a serious demeanor on his face, and he clicked his seatbelt on.

"W-wait! What about the guy?!" asked Clem.

"Oh, he ain't even hurt. He's hustling us." said Nick, as he sped up the van.

The wildebeest's face lit up with shock to see his ruse didn't work, and pulled out his gun, firing at the van. "Oh, shit! Go, go, go!" he cried, before he was run over by the van.

"Cheese and crackers, Nick!" Judy cried.

A whole mob of mammals wielding guns, bricks, and wooden two-by-fours charged at the van. Nick tried to evade the mob, but one of the bricks smashed against the hood of the van. A zebra swung at Judy's window, smashing it, but Judy was luckily, somehow, unfazed by the attack.

"Oh, not good!" Judy cried, as the mob pushed a bus, right into their direction, and it slammed the backside of the van.

"HOLD ON!" Nick cried, as the van swerved out of control, crashing right through the front of an ice cream shop, named 'Jerry Jumbeaux Jr.'s Cafe', and slammed into the counter of the shop, knocking the trio unconscious.

...

Nick didn't know how long they were out when he, Judy, and Clem regained consciousness, but his instincts told him they were still in danger.

"I'm okay." Clem coughed.

"I'm fine, too." mumbled Judy.

"Then, get out! Quick!" Nick said, but his warning came too late.

Two wildebeests grabbed Judy and Clem by the arms, but Nick grabbed both their feet, to stop them from being captured.

"Let us go, you chicken-shits!" yelled Clem.

A porcupine grabbed Nick, and pulled him away, as the two wildebeests pulled away Judy and Clem.

"Nick! No!" Judy cried.

The porcupine smashed Nick through a glass fridge, and tried to stab him with one of the shards, still in place on the bottom fridge frame. But, Nick proved to be stronger, as he got a grip on both sides of the frame, and back head-butted the porcupine in the face. Then, Nick grabbed the porcupine by the collar, and pulled him down, stabbing the porcupine in the throat with the glass shard.

Judy and Clem bit down on their captors' arms, forcing them to let go, but the wildebeests counterattacked with slaps to the faces, and then held them down to the floor. Nick charged in, kicked one wildebeest down, and punched the other, setting Clem and Judy free, and Nick finished the wildebeests off, by slamming their heads into broken shards of flower pots.

"Motherfuckers!" Clem coughed. "What's wrong with these guys?!"

"Catch your breath! We're getting out of here!" Nick said, as he grabbed all three backpacks from the truck, and tossed Judy and Clem their respective packs.

"Watch out!" Judy pointed to several more mammals opening fire at the trio.

Taking behind cover, Nick waited until they got closer, then ambushed them, rapidly firing at the three mammals up close with his shotgun, not giving them a chance to attack. Judy had Nick's back as she took out two more mammals that snuck up from around and behind. The fight was over quickly before it started.

"Alright, that's the last of them. You okay, girls?" said Nick.

"Yeah, we're okay." said Judy. Clem nodded.

"Good, 'cause we need to get out of here." said Nick. "Start combing the area for a way out. Keep an eye for anything we may need, later."

As they searched, and found more supplies to craft stuff with, they saw there was no going back the way they came, as the bus from the earlier attack was blocking the way. There were fences on the left and right of the road outlet. The only way through was to go through a garage Nick found.

Nick grabbed the garage door, while Judy pulled the chain up, opening the door, with Nick holding it in place.

"Alright, hold it open from the other end." Nick said, as Clem crawled through the gap in the doorway.

"Uh, there's some gnarly stuff in here." said Clem, uncomfortably.

"Clem!" called Judy.

"Right, sorry." Clem said, as she held the chain in place in the garage. "Okay, go!"

Nick and Judy crawled into the garage, as Clem slammed it closed.

"Look at this." Clem pointed to the gnarly scene in the garage. At least several bodies of mammals were laid out on tables, stripped of their clothes, and possessions.

"Hunters." said Nick. "See, this could've been us."

"That is a LOT of mammals that didn't make it." Clem said, mesmerized at the scene.

"I knew I should've turned the darn truck around." said Nick.

"We survived, right?" said Judy.

"Yeah, barely. C'mon, we shouldn't stay here much longer." said Nick.

"Oh, hold on. I think this belonged to those guys." Clem said, picking up a sack of something, and gave it to Nick.

"A smoke bomb. Could come in handy." Nick said, placing it in his pack, then led Judy and Clem up a flight of stairs.

"Hey, Nick. How'd you know? About the ambush?" asked Judy.

"Well... I've been on both sides, really." said Nick, matter-of-factly.

"Oh." said Judy, not sure what to do with that information. "Does that mean you killed a lot of innocent mammals?"

"Hmm." Nick muttered.

"I'll take that as a yes." said Clem.

"Take it however you want." said Nick. "We gotta keep moving."

The trio made it to the top, and through a hallway, past a room that served as a barracks for the hunters.

"Guess this is where the A-holes sleep. I mean, slept." said Clem, as the trio took the supplies and ammo left over.

The trio made it outside, where they were greeted by a pile of burnt bodies.

"Whoa. I don't think these guys were infected." said Clem.

"C'mon, Clem. Don't pay mind to that. We need to focus on a way out of here." said Judy.

Climbing up to a metal balcony, Nick could see a railroad bridge in the distance.

"Alright that bridge looks like the closest way out. Let's go." Nick turned to address the girls, but found Clem was ahead of them, hopping down the railing, towards the street.

"Hey, Clem. Wait for us!" Nick said, him and Judy catching up to Clem.

"What? I'm right here." Clem stated.

"Clem, it's important you let one of us go first. It could be dangerous for you." said Judy.

"Fine." mumbled Clem, then took a deep breath, and whistled. "Hey, I whistled!" Clem whistled, again. "Oh, man. I've never learned how to whistle, before."

"Oh, good. Something else you can drive me crazy with." Nick rolled his eyes.

"I know lots of styles of whistling, if you want me to show you, later." said Judy.

"Awesome." said Clem.

The trio continued down the road, right into another pile of cars and buses, scattered around the streets, only they had the skeletal remains of mammals in their seats.

"Whoa. That's a lot of mammals the military didn't let into the zone. They don't look to be infected, either." said Clem.

"Well, you can't let everyone in, y'know." said Nick. "Sometimes, there isn't enough room."

"Sounds harsh." said Clem.

"But, dead mammals don't get infected. Believe me, this is the kind of things that puts us Fireflies at odds with the military." said Judy.

Just then, a gunshot could be heard from up ahead, a flock of geese flew away, in terror.

The trio took cover behind a couple of cars, as a trio of male hunters, consisting of a raccoon, a rabbit, and an armadillo, climbed down the bus.

"Oh, brother. You had an entire flock, right there, and you couldn't hit a single one?!" said the raccoon.

"I could hit you, if I wanted to!" the rabbit snapped.

"Man, you sound really upset." said the raccoon. "Well, if ya like, I could always give ya lessons."

"Where the crap are those lookout guys? They should've checked in with us, hours ago." said the armadillo.

"That spot they're patrolling is a goldmine. Those lucky bastards." muttered the raccoon.

"C'mon, let's go see what's keeping them." The rabbit led the other hunters towards where the Nick and the girls just came through, and were out of sight.

"C'mon, it won't take long for them to discover what happened to their friends." said Nick, leading the girls over and down the bus.

The trio were now at what appeared to be a checkpoint into the old QZ for the Savannah Central ecosystem of Zootopia.

"Huh." Clem noticed a painted message all over the checkpoint's right wall. "'Give us our rations'. Why wouldn't they give 'em their food?"

"They just didn't have enough, back when the pandemic started. Sometimes, the higher-ups would just hoard it for themselves." said Judy. "Add that to the list the Fireflies have against the Military."

"That never happened back in Boston." said Clem.

"Trust us, Clem. It happened all the time." said Nick.

The trio past through the gate, and took cover behind some coverage, as more hunters were outside, under a tarp. Judy's ears picked up the sound of hunters inside the building to the right.

"Alright, Clem. Stay right next to me. We'll go around, and I'll get the angle on those two. Jude, you get that one guy near there with your bow." instructed Nick.

Judy nodded, and crept behind the large box that was next to the beaver hunter, pulling out her bow to land an arrow behind the beaver's back. Nick circled around, and took out the ferret hunter, before proceeding to drive a shiv into the lion hunter.

The trio proceeded inside the building, ducking behind wooden and metal drawers to see three more hunters conversing on the first floor, and three more patrolling up on the second floor. The three hunters broke off after their talk, and the trio went into stealth mode, automatically. Nick and Judy both took out the dog and cat hunters, then slowly crawled over to the unsuspected zebra hunter, whom Nick proceeded to strangle.

Crawling up the stairs, hiding behind the railing, they could see one horse hunter, guarding the back door, with two sloth hunters patrolling the left and right of the floor.

"Nick, I have an idea." Judy said, taking out her bow. "I'll get the horse, that'll create a distraction, and you get the one on the right, since that's closer. I'll get the one on the left."

"Counting on you to have my back, Carrots." said Nick, pulling out his shiv.

"Count on it." Judy grinned, and shot an arrow, hitting her target.

Nick crept over, and got the first sloth, who was still in the midst of turning around, due to his speed, and Judy wasted no time landing her next hit on the second sloth.

"Alright, coast is clear." said Nick, getting up.

"Whew. To the edge of the universe, and back. Endure and Survive." said Clem.

"Excuse me?" Nick raised an eyebrow.

"It's a line from the 'Pig Hero 6' comic I've been reading. Volume two. The one I got from Finnick's." said Clem.

"Aw, man. Now, I gotta start reading that, 'cause that is a good line." said Judy.

"Well, there's all these books lying around. Not much any of these hunters are reading them, I bet." said Clem, gesturing to the books scattered around the floor.

"You both must be quite the readers in your spare time, huh?" Nick smirked.

"Yeah, when I'm not dealing with Savages, or hunters, or military." grinned Judy.

"Same." said Clem.

"Let's get moving." Nick said, leading the trio out of the building, down the staircase, and into another alley, where they saw three skeletal remains of wolf soldiers.

"Whoa, nelly. You have to be crazy to string up soldiers." said Clem.

"Well, you get enough mammals that are desperate enough, they'll do about anything." said Nick.

"Us Fireflies wouldn't stoop to this level. We'd fight the military on equal grounds." said Judy.

"Blowing up militia tanks and cars are what you call 'equal grounds', Carrots?" Nick asked, sarcastically.

"I don't take pride in doing stuff like that, y'know." said Judy. "I'm just fighting to protect myself, my friends, and to make things right, even if everyone is so quick to cower and hide."

"Let's just get to that bridge." said Nick.

The trio proceeded up a fire escape, over the railing, onto a truck, down the truck, and out of the alley, leading to another open street. Up ahead, the trio could see half the road was swelled up with water.

The trio took cover when they saw two wolf hunters on top of a makeshift bridge in the water, made from a large container, a bus, and a wooden plank placed between them, with one of the wolves removing the plank from the container, and towards the bus more, to prevent from being followed. The bridge connected from a Bug-Burga fast food restaurant, to an apartment complex, named 'Grand Pangolin Arms'.

The trio came out of hiding as the hunters disappeared into the complex.

"Well, there's our bridge." Clem pointed to the railroad bridge in the distance. "We're a little closer, I think."

"We have to get that plank back on it's original spot, and cut through the complex. No way Clem can swim through this." said Judy.

"Wait here. I think I see another pallet, floating in the water. I'll go get it." said Nick.

As Nick dove in the water, and swam towards the pallet. Nick could hear a large sound on the street bridge ahead of him. Looking up, he saw a military truck, armed with a machine gun, plowing through the streets. When it was out of view, Nick could still hear the sound of rattling of bullets, and a female voice screaming.

"Oh, this place is bad." Nick muttered, in terror.

"Hey, I heard something loud on that bridge. Were you able to see what happened?" Judy asked Nick, as he swam back to shore.

"The hunters. They've got this military truck, with a machine gun. A Humvee, of sorts." said Nick. "We can't stay here, much longer. C'mon, Clem. We need you up on that bus."

"Just be careful." Clem said, stepping on the pallet.

"Don't worry, I won't you fall." said Nick, moving Clem to the bus.

Clem climbed up, and moved the plank back between the bus, and the container.

"C'mon, Carrots. We can get through here, to get on the bridge." Nick pointed to the open container.

Nick and Judy swam through, and made it into the half-flooded restaurant, climbing up to a second floor where the take-out counter was, and climbed up on the container.

"So, Nick. You go to Bug-Burga, often? Before the pandemic?" Judy asked, as they ducked underneath the hole that the container made in the wall, and crossed the plank.

"Yep, all the time." said Nick.

"Well, what'd ya get?" asked Judy.

"Just a Bug-Burga burger." said Nick. "I really miss it, know that I think about it."

The trio climbed up the window, and down on the floor of the apartment complex.

"Whew. Now, this place must've been fancy." whistled Clem, looking at the decor of the lobby. "You guys ever rented a room in a place like this, before?"

"No, but I planned to, before this all happened." said Judy.

"Not me. This is too rich for my blood." said Nick, looking behind the check-out counter for supplies.

Clem rang the bell on the counter. "Excuse me. I'd love to rent one of your finest apartments on the top floor, please?" Clem joked.

"What're you doing? Roleplaying?" Nick raised an eyebrow.

"Why, yes. You may bring my luggage, upstairs." Clem smiled, not breaking character.

"Heh, you are one weird kid." chuckled Nick.

Judy giggled to herself. "Oh, guys. Look, they have a coffee machine." Judy pointed out. "Oh, man. I miss coffee."

"Make that two, Carrots." said Nick.

"Hey, guys. I think that leads up." Clem pointed to a ledge, leading to a staircase. "If only we had a ladder."

"Ah, here's one." Nick said, grabbing the ladder, and placing it on the wall of the ledge. "Ladies first."

The trio climbed up the ladder, and proceeded up to the second floor, where the elevators were at. There was no way to open them, and the hall to the left was wrecked, so the trio crossed through the open window, and onto a roof of the story-high complex.

"Uh-oh. Get down." Nick ordered, as the muffled sound of voices came to his ears.

The trio ducked under another open window sill, as two mountain lion hunters were conversing in the hallway.

"Alright, this floor looks secure. C'mon, we gotta check the next one." said the lead hunter.

"Check for what, man? I haven't seen a Howler in weeks." said the other hunter.

"That's 'cause we're thorough. We're gonna keep being thorough." said the lead hunter.

"Okay, Carrots, Clem. We're gonna go through this nice, slow, and quiet. We may have to take them all out. Be ready for anything." said Nick. Judy and Clem nodded.

Hopping through the window, the trio crept up to the two lion hunters, and Nick and Judy got them with their shivs. Ducking behind furniture in a main hall, they could see several hunters in several rooms. One by one, Nick and Judy made quick work of the hunters, through the use of Judy's bow, their shivs, or the method of strangling, so they wouldn't alert the other hunters of their presence.

Once the floor was clear, the trio crept up a stairwell to the next floor. Hiding behind a soda machine, Judy took out a red panda hunter, patrolling the main hall, with her bow. The trio took cover behind furniture in the hallway to see two more red panda hunters, patrolling the next main hall. Judy shot at the nearest hunter with her bow, providing a distraction for the other hunter, before taking them out next.

There was just one or two antelope hunters left, patrolling the rooms, but Nick handled the situation. Taking one antelope hunter hostage, Nick shot the other antelope, before shooting his captive, next.

With the coast clear, again, the trio traversed up another flight of stairs, right to another pair of elevators. The elevator on the right had it's door ajar, which Nick summoned all his strength to force them open. There was a ladder in the shaft, leading to an emergency hatch in the roof.

Climbing up, Nick slammed the hatch behind the trio, to prevent from being followed. Sliding across the wall to the other lift in the shaft, Nick jumped onto the lift's roof first, but the lift wobbled under his feet, after that not so soft landing.

"Alright, careful ladies. It's a little unstable." warned Nick.

Judy jumped on first, then Clem. "Alright, Clem. I'll give you a boost, first. Then, Jude. Then, me." said Nick.

Nick got into position, and boosted Clem up to the doorway, but then...

CLANK!

"Oh, shit!" Nick cried, as the lift gave way underneath him and Judy, as they fell down the shaft.

Nick grabbed onto Judy in mid-air, and then splashed into the flooded basement, the water breaking their fall.

"NICK! JUDY!" Clem called from up top.

Nick and Judy surfaced from the water, coughing.

"We're okay, Clem!" called Judy, coughing. "Are you alright?!"

"NO! You two scared the shit out of me!" said Clem. "Hang on! I'm gonna climb down to you, guys!"

"No! Stay up there, where you're safe!" called Nick. "We'll make our way back up to you!"

"Just don't do anything stupid!" Clem called back.

"We'll try." said Nick.

Nick and Judy began swimming through the bottom of the shaft, and further into the basement of the complex. Up ahead, Nick and Judy's path was blocked by a gate. Down below, was a large gap in the floor, leading to the lower floor of the basement. Nick and Judy dived down, swimming through the lower basement, and resurfaced through a hole on the other end of the gate. Nick and Judy began crawling onto the shallow part of the wet floor.

"Uh-oh. Spores." said Nick, as he and Judy threw on their gas masks, and switched on their lights, continuing down the darkened corridor, filled with Night Howlers growing out of the walls and floors, and releasing spores into the air.

"Keep a lookout, Nick. This place could have Savages coming out of the walls, if they could." said Judy.

"Carrots, look. There's a generator in here." Nick pointed to a generator inside the room to their right. "Watch my back. I'm gonna see if it still works."

"That'd awfully make a lot of noise." said Judy.

"True, but this way, we'll be able to see them before they see and hear us." said Nick.

"Good point. Just make it quick, though. I don't like this place." said Judy, pulling out her shotgun.

Nick pulled on the lever a few times, and the generator started up, turning on the lights.

"Ha, ha. Let there be light, again." chuckled Nick.

"Nick, heads up! Stalkers!" Judy warned.

From out of nowhere, several Savage stalkers came running into view, charging at the duo. Nick and Judy waited until they got a little closer in range, and open fired at the infected mammals, bringing them down, one by one.

"Alright, I think that's all of them. Let's go before more show up." said Judy.

Nick and Judy hurried up to the second floor, and towards the door with the exit sign above, but it was locked, a keycard swiper.

"Nick, in that room. Maybe, we can find a key." Judy pointed to a dimly-lit office.

Inside, Nick and Judy searched all over the tables, until Judy found the card, next to the remains of the employee, who worked in the complex. Swiping the card on the machine, the door unlocked, and the duo hurried through the door, slamming it shut. Nick and Judy ran up the stairs, and into another hallway. Now that they were out of the spore-infested area, they took off their gas masks.

"Well, so much for that." said Nick. "We gotta find Clem."

Nick and Judy went into a kitchen area, but ducked behind the wall, when the sound of a weasel hunter, stabbing a ferret Howler, came into the room.

"Nicely done. You bit?" said a second hunter, a wolf.

"Not today. You?" said the weasel hunter.

"Not today. C'mon, we gotta check the rest of this floor." said the wolf hunter.

Nick crept behind the weasel hunter, and strangled him, while Judy did the same to the wolf hunter. The duo worked their way into a diner area, and up a ladder to the next face, when without warning, a cougar hunter kicked Nick in the face, sending both him, Judy, and the ladder falling back down.

The cougar held Nick and Judy face-down in a puddle, going for drowning the pair, but Nick and Judy fought back, whacking the wolf square in the jaw. But, the wolf bounced back, and tried to drown them again, when the wolf was shot right in the face. Nick and Judy got back up, gasping for air, and turned to see Clem, pointing her gun at the the body of the wolf.

"Oh, man. I shot the crap out of that guy, huh?" said Clem.

"Yeah, you did." coughed Nick.

"Ugh, I feel sick." Clem said, sitting down with her head between her legs.

Nick swiped the gun from Clem. "Where did you even get this?" she said.

"I gave it to her. I got it back at Finnick's." admitted Judy.

Nick shook his head. "Why didn't you just hang back like I told you to?" said Nick. "Also, didn't I tell you no?"

"Well, you're glad I didn't, right?" asked Clem.

"I'm glad I didn't get my head blown off by a damn kid." Nick retorted, then turned to Judy. "That's also the last time I leave you alone with her."

"Okay, you know what?! No!" snapped Clem. "How about, 'Hey Clem, I know it wasn't easy, but it was either him or me and Judy. Thanks for saving our asses.' You don't have anything like that for me and Judy, Nick?"

"We gotta get moving." said Nick.

"Lead the way." Clem shook her head.

Judy just sighed, exasperatedly.

Climbing up the stairs, the trio worked their way through the second floor, then back down to the first floor, leading to a large ballroom, littered with fancy tables and chairs.

"Alright, we gotta figure a way up that other second floor. Looks like it'll lead out of here." said Nick.

"Just tell us where to go." Clem rolled her eyes.

"I hate this crap." muttered Nick.

"You're not the only one." Judy whispered, glaring at Nick.

"What was that?" said Nick, facing Judy.

"Nothing." Judy said, turning away.

"Whoa, look at this." Clem whispered, looking at a back-drop, surrounded by umbrella-shaded light bulbs, and a camera.

"That type of back-drop is the kind that mammals use to take pictures." said Nick.

"Yeah, I know what it is." Clem glared.

"Okay, if there's something you and Carrots wanna get off your chest, Clem, I'm all ears." Nick said, easily sensing the tension.

"Ugh, I was trying to disobey you, back there. Neither was Judy, when she secretly gave me the gun." said Clem. "You guys were taking an awfully long time, and I thought maybe you guys were in trouble. Plus, Judy wanted me to prove to you, that I can be responsible, and helpful, and look after myself."

"Well, it don't matter what you or Judy thought. I need you both to listen to me." said Nick, firmly.

"We do, Nick. It's just... Forget it." Judy sighed.

Heading up to the center of a stage, Nick tried to push a piano for them to climb up to the second floor, but it was too heavy.

"I need a hand with this." said Nick.

"You sure you can trust us with this?" Clem said, sarcastically.

"Girls, please." said Nick.

The trio pushed all their weight into moving the piano, and it moved, slamming right into the wall, right above the opening in the railing of the second floor.

"There, how was that?" asked Clem.

"Let's go." Nick shrugged off Clem's question. Clem sighed, shaking her head, again.

The trio climbed up the second floor, into another room, out onto a balcony, and onto a scaffolding. Right next Nick, sitting on a chair, was the skeletal remains of a lion, holding a hunter's rifle, complete with a scope. Nick swiped the rifle, and ducked behind cover with Judy and Clem, when a whole group of hunters came into view, on the street below.

"Alright, Carrots. You and I are gonna go down there, and clear us a path. Clem, you wait here." instructed Nick.

"This is stupid. If you'd let me help, we'd have a better chance-"

"I am." Nick interrupted Clem, handing her the rifle. "Now, you seem to know your way around a gun. You reckon you can handle this?"

"Well, I sorta shot a rifle before." said Clem, taking the rifle. "But, it was at pigeons."

"Pigeons?" asked Judy.

"Yeah, with BB's." said Clem.

"Well, it's the same, basic concept. Here, I'll show you how." Nick instructed, showing Clem the proper way to hold the rifle. "Now, you're gonna want to lean right into that stock, because it'll kick a heck of a lot more than any BB rifle. Now, to reload, pull the latch back and tug it, like that. As soon as you fire, you're gonna want to get another round in there, quick."

"Now, Clem. Listen to me." Nick wore a calm serious expression on his face. "If we get in trouble down there, you make every shot count. Yeah?"

"I got this." Clem nodded, confidently.

"Alright, let's go, Carrots." Nick said to Judy, and crawled to the edge of the scaffolding, but then turned back to the girls. "Also, just so we're clear about that back there... It was either him or me and Judy. So, I'm... Well, you know."

Nick jumped down, not seeing Judy or Clem smile.

"Apology accepted, Slick." said Judy, winking back at Clem, before hopping down after Nick.

"You're welcome. Both of you." smiled Clem, before returning her focus to the group of hunters.

From where Nick and Judy were hiding, they could see the hunters crowding around a hanged horse survivor, with a sign around him that read, 'Thief'.

"Asshole should've known better." smirked a raccoon hunter. "I mean, if you're gonna steal it, you gotta make sure you get away with it. See, if it were me-"

"They're dead! They're all dead!" cried a cheetah hunter, running into view.

"The hell is he yammering about?!" said the raccoon hunter. "Take a breath. Who's dead?"

"The lookout guys, from the highway to the Grand Pangolin Arms." said the cheetah hunter. "Some tourists killed them. All of them!"

"Oh, shit. You talked to the boss?" asked the raccoon hunter.

"Yeah, he says he wants everyone on the lookout." said the cheetah hunter.

"Alright, you heard the mammal. Spread out! Do not let anyone through!" ordered the raccoon hunter, as the group split up into different buildings.

"Alright, Judy. I take the guys on the left, in the Lemmings Brothers bank. You take the guys on the right, in the Bug-Burga. Be careful." said Nick.

"Same goes for you." said Judy, as she and Nick split up.

Nick snuck into the bank, grabbed the raccoon hunter from behind, and strangled him behind a counter, out of sight of the other hunters. Nick crept up to the second hunter, a lion, and drove a shiv into him. The last one, a skunk hunter, he tackled down, and kicked him in the face.

Judy crept into another Bug-Burga restaurant, and hid behind a counter. She could see a grizzly bear hunter walking into a freezer, next door. Following quietly behind, Judy pulled out her bow, she shot an arrow into the bear's head. Sneaking up to the second floor, she didn't find any hunters. She assumed they went over to the other building.

Crossing the plank on the fire escape to the ledge, Judy hopped through the open window, and grabbed the hare hunter. The cheetah hunter spotted her, but she shot him down first with her pistol, then blew the brains out of the hare hunter.

Outside, at least four more hunters heard the gunshots. From up on the scaffolding, on cue, Clem looked through the scope to pick her first target, a tiger hunter, and shot him down.

"Nice work, Kiddo." whispered Nick.

Clem then shot down the next hunter, a polar bear hunter. The remaining hunters, an arctic fox, and a coyote, ran into Nick and Judy's respective buildings, unaware of the surprise that awaited them. Judy had already made it back inside the Bug-Burga by this time, and got the jump on the coyote, taking him out with her shiv. Nick smacked down the arctic fox with a few punches, before blasting his brains out with his revolver.

At last, the coast was clear. "Alright, come on down." Nick called to Clem.

The trio regrouped in the center of the square. "How'd I do?" asked Clem.

Nick handed her back the pistol he took from her, but then took it back. "I just want you to know, you gotta respect it. It's no toy. Only use it to defend yourself. Yeah?" he said, handing it back to her, again.

Clem nodded, confidently, and took the pistol. "I won't let you down with this, either." she said.

"Judy, why don't you switch your bow with the rifle Clem has?" said Clem. "I trust you, Clem, but I think, for now, we should start you off with a bow first, until you get the hang of it."

"Sure." Clem nodded, switching the rifle with the bow and quiver. "I'm a better shot at this thing, anyway."

"Alright, let's go." Nick said, leading the trio out of the square, when he felt Judy smiling at her. "What?"

"You really are a sweet fox." said Judy.

"Don't push your luck, Carrots." Nick smirked.

Clem tried her best to suppress a giggle at the two adults ahead of her. She thought it was cute, but she wasn't gonna admit it out loud. Not yet, at least.

 **Alright, guys. Another good stopping point on this chapter. Hope you all** **enjoyed it. Next chapter, we'll be introduced to new allies, and the OC left by one of our guest reviewers. Will this new character be friend of foe? That'll have to wait in the next chapter.**

 **I own nothing, except a few OC's. All rights go to original owners. No copyright intended. Thanks. Stay tuned for more of this fanfic.**


	7. Chapter 6: Allies

**Hey, guys. I'm back with another chapter. Not much to jot down on this note, except I hope you enjoy.**

"Talk about harsh punishment back there, huh?" said Clem, referring to the thief the hunters caught with the noose, earlier.

"It ain't no different to what the military does back in Boston." said Nick.

"Guess not." said Clem.

The trio continued their way towards another building with a garage. Clem pulled the chain, while Nick held the garage door up, and Judy wedged a cart into the space to hold it open, since there was no chain, this time.

Nick and Clem crawled through, and Nick held the door again, so Judy could pull the cart out, putting it back in it's rightful place, right near the ledge that was blocked by large crates, save for a small space above for them to climb over. Nick closed the door, and the trio climbed over the boxes.

When they entered another room, the sound of tires screeching could be heard outside the windows. Nick, Judy, and Clem ducked, as a lion and lioness survivor were gunned down by the Humvee truck, but the lioness was still alive.

"Nick, we gotta help her." whispered Clem.

"If they see us, they'll kill us with that thing." Nick referred to the truck.

A panther hunter stepped out of the back of the truck, and finished off the lioness.

"Busy couple of days, huh?" an antelope hunter asked the panther hunter.

"Whatever, dude." said the panther hunter, as he searched the lioness's body for supplies they could salvage. "Damn, no food. Old pair of shoes. These guys got nothing. Let's go."

The hunters piled back into the truck, and drove away. The trio got back up from hiding.

"Oh, man." Clem exhaled, heavily.

"I know, Clem. I really wanted to help, but giving the circumstance, there was nothing we could've done, without endangering us." said Judy.

"I know. Just... Oh, boy." Clem nodded.

"C'mon. We need to get to that bridge." said Nick, turning towards a door on the left.

The trio headed up another flight of stairs, when the sound of two more hunters, both armadillo's, came from the wall. Hiding behind the corner, Nick and Judy ambushed the hunters, and opened fire. As soon as the coast was clear again, the trio hurried back outside, out a large opening in the hall, down a truck, and back onto the street.

However, the trio took cover behind another truck, as there were more hunters. One group was on the street, and one group was up the second floor of a building, across the street, with a large hole in the wall for them to easily see and scan the area. What's more, there were a couple of nail bomb booby traps, connected between a car and mailbox, and one with a car and a lamp post.

There was only one way around this. Nick, Judy, and Clem would have to go up and around the building where the hunters were, then back down the street. The trio crawled past the street, and up the stairs. Nick snuck up behind one leopard hunter, and took him out with his shiv. Clem aimed her bow, and shot at a second, unsuspecting leopard hunter. One cheetah hunter heard the commotion from the staircase across the room, and checked the bodies, only for Judy to sneak up, and take him out with her shiv.

The trio headed down the opposite flight of stairs, emerging outside, on the other end of the booby traps. Taking cover behind more cars, Judy and Nick opened fire at the remaining three sloth hunters with their rifle and shotgun, before they even knew what hit them.

"Whoa, nelly. Once again, endure and survive." Clem whispered, as the coast was clear, again.

"What? Oh, right. The comic book thing." said Nick, as the trio got out of cover, and continued on their way.

"Holy smokes. I guess this is how it ended for this zone." Judy pointed to a line of three skeletal remains of wolf soldiers.

"Well, every battle's got a losing side." said Nick.

"What if they all had families?" asked Clem.

"Everyone has a family." said Nick. "Best not to dwell on it."

"How can you not?" asked Clem.

"C'mon, I'll give you a boost, and see if you can get that ladder down." Nick pointed to the nearby fire escape.

Nick boosted Clem up, and she brought down the ladder, which the trio proceeded up to the fire escape.

"Look, we're getting close." Nick pointed to the bridge, just a few more miles away.

The trio jumped down another truck from the fire escape, then back onto the street.

"Hey, I stayed at a place like this. Back in the Boston QZ." Clem pointed to a building with a sign on it's gate that read, 'Military Preparatory School'.

"Oh, Cheese and Crackers. Military Preparatory School. Great way to brainwash our next generation." Judy rolled her eyes.

"I saw it as another fancy way of saying, 'Orphanage'." said Clem. "You think maybe some of the teenagers that were placed here, they grew up to be those hunters we're fighting?"

"That, or they got away." said Nick.

"But, you don't believe that." said Clem.

"I believe in getting out of the city. Let's go." said Nick, leading the trio down an alley.

"Oh, hey. There's another one of those posters." Clem pointed to a large movie poster, showing the movie, 'Wrangled'. "These posters are everywhere."

"Oh, yeah. I saw this when it came out. Right before the outbreak." said Nick.

"So, what happens? Same, sappy fairy tale ending?" asked Clem.

"It wasn't all like that. It was a pretty good movie, for a kid's movie, anyway." said Nick.

"Oh, yeah? Who dragged you to see it, then?" asked Clem.

Nick sighed. The last time he saw that movie, it was with...

Nick shook his head. There was no time to think about that right now. Judy noticed Nick's demeanor. She could tell it was sad, but didn't understand why.

"I don't know." Nick simply said. "C'mon, we need to keep moving, and stay focused."

"Okay." Clem nodded.

The trio worked their way down the alley, but stopped when they saw the hunters' Humvee through a gate.

"It's okay, they don't see us, yet. Move quick and quiet." whispered Nick.

The trio past through the gate, then past through another building. There was an armadillo hunter, guarding the left side of the building. Nick grabbed him from behind, and took him out with his shiv. Nick, Judy, and Clem had to cross into the open street to get forward, luckily there was a car they took cover behind from the Humvee. The trio snuck into another smaller building for cover.

The trio saw the cheetah hunter too late, as it called to the Humvee, before Nick shot him down with his gun. The trio ducked into another room via the open office window, as the Humvee's machine gun open fired.

"GO! RUN!" Nick cried, pointing to a back door, close to where they were hiding, and leading down another alleyway.

The trio ran out the back door, and down the alley, out of the truck's reach. Suddenly, the truck broke through the barred gate, and after the trio. Nick, Judy, and Clem took cover into another building. Heading up the stairway, they found themselves in another office building. Nick looked out the window, to see the Humvee right above them.

"Alright, follow my lead, quietly." Nick said, stepping out of the window, back against the wall, and sliding down the small ledge, inch by inch.

Judy and Clem followed closely behind, as they hopped into another window, leading into an apartment. The trio headed into the living room, and out the window, back onto the small ledge. They inched by again, as they saw the Humvee drive out of the alleyway, below them.

"It's okay. I think they lost us." said Nick.

The trio climbed back into another apartment, when Nick and Judy were both grabbed by something, or someone, behind them. The four struggled, Nick and Judy forcing them against the wall, despite being in a tight grip. Clem rushed at the mammal who had Nick with her switchblade, and cut their arm, before being knocked back on her feet. Nick's captor loosened his grip, distracted by Clem, and head-butted his captor, throwing him down on the ground. Nick kicked swiftly to Judy's captor in the face, setting her free, before pushing him down. Nick kept punching his captor, while Judy kicked her captor down, repeatedly.

"Nick! Judy! Guys, both of you stop!" Clem cried. "Look!"

Nick and Judy stopped and looked up to see a group of mammals, looking terrified. The group consisted of a family of four otters, and a teenage panther.

The otter family had one father, a mother, and their two sons. All the otters had smooth brown fur, but the mother had light green eyes, the father had amber eyes, the oldest boy had hazel eyes like his dad, and the youngest had green eyes like his mom.

The mother was dressed in a purple sweater jacket, purple shirt, and black pants, with a tannish backpack on her back. The father had a green sweater-vest, with white flannel shirt underneath, and green pants, with a brownish backpack on his back. The oldest son had a dark blue t-shirt, and dark blue pants, with an orange backpack on his back. The youngest son had an orange jersey shirt, and orange jersey shorts, with a camouflage backpack on his back.

The teenage panther had dark fur, and light blue eyes, wearing a yellow hoodie, a white shirt underneath, and jeans, with a green backpack on his back.

"Leave them alone." the jaguar warned, as he, the father otter and his older son had their guns trained on them, with the mother holding a hunter's knife in her right paw, and defending her youngest son with her left arm.

"Easy, guys. Just, take it easy." said Nick, as he and Judy backed away.

"We don't want any trouble. We just wanna get out of here, that's all." Judy assured the group.

"So do we." said the father otter.

"It's alright. They're not the bad guys." said Nick's captor, picking himself up. "Lower the guns."

The group putted away their weapons, as Nick's captor helped up Judy's captor.

Nick's captor was an adult jaguar with dark fur, and light green eyes, wearing a sleeveless, white shirt, and jeans, with a green backpack on his back.

Judy's captor was a male fox with orange fur, dark blue eyes, and a scar running down his face, wearing a grey hoodie, a black vest, and jeans, with a light brown backpack on his back. On his backpack was a holstered baseball bat, with light brown wood, and a saw blade screwed into the top middle of the bat.

"Damn, girl. You and your boyfriend hit hard." the fox rubbed the top of his muzzle.

"Yeah, well, we were trying to kill you, for trying to kill us." Nick retorted.

"Consider yourselves lucky I didn't use Ol' Betsy, here." the fox pointed to his bat.

"Yeah, we thought you were one of them, too. Then, we saw you." the jaguar pointed to Clem. "In case you haven't noticed, they don't keep kids around. Survival of the fittest."

"You're bleeding." the teenage jaguar said to the adult jaguar, noticing his scratch.

"It's fine. Lemme see your bag for a minute." said the adult jaguar, pulling a bandage to wrap around his wound from the teenager's backpack.

"I'm Renato Manchas. This is my son, Leo Manchas." the jaguar introduced himself and his son.

"I'm Daniel. My friends call me Danny." said the fox.

"I'm Emmitt Otterton. This is my wife, Olive Otterton. These are our boys, Oscar and Alan Otterton." said the father otter. "Your names are Nick and Judy, if I heard right?"

"Yes. Judy Hopps, and Nick Wilde." said Judy.

"I'm Clementine." said Clem, getting the introductions out of the ways.

"How many of there are in your group?" asked Nick.

"The hunters killed the rest of them." said Oscar, the oldest son.

"Son, we don't that for sure." said Emmitt.

"There were more of us. Someone had the fancy idea of entering the city to look for supplies. Then, those animals ambushed us, and scattered us." said Manchas.

"Now, it's all about getting out of this shit-hole." said Danny.

"Well, maybe we can help each other." said Clem.

"Clem... I don't know." Nick said, wearingly.

"C'mon, Nick. Safety in numbers, and all that. At least, until we get out of the city, then we can go our separate ways." said Judy.

"She does have a point. We could help each other, until we get out of the city, at least." said Manchas. "We have a hideout not far from here. Be safer if we chat there."

"I dunno, dude. If Nicky here doesn't trust us, how can we trust them?" asked Danny.

"There's more of you than us." said Judy.

"Fine. Take us there." said Nick.

"Follow us." said Emmitt.

The group headed out of the apartment, and down the stairwell.

"Hey, Clementine. Sorry about me, my dad, and Leo pulling guns on you." said Oscar.

"It's okay. I would've done the same thing." Clem smiled at the kid. "So, me, Judy, and Nick are from the Boston QZ. Where're you guys from?"

"All the way from the QZ in Hartford, Connecticut." said Olive.

"Really? I hear some gnarly stuff going on, down there." said Judy.

"Yeah, the military abandoned the zone. Probably looks like this, right about now." said Emmitt.

"So, it's just you and your parents, Clem?" asked Alan.

"Oh, we're not related. Nick and Judy are my guardians." said Clem.

"We promised some friends of ours we'd look after her." said Nick.

"We can appreciate that." said Emmitt.

"Two foxes, and a bunny. Something funny about that." smirked Danny.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Judy raised her eyebrow at the other fox.

"I'm just surprised you haven't pissed your pants with fear around them, yet." shrugged Danny.

"I'll have you know, I ain't your average bunny." said Judy. "I got enough wisecracks from Nick, the first day we met."

"Sorry, didn't mean to steal your thunder there, Nicky." Danny winked at Nick, who just glared at him.

"Alright, Danny. That's enough." said Manchas. "You'll have to excuse him. He's got his own sense of humor."

"Noted." said Nick.

The group made it to the bottom of the steps, and crossed into a toy shop.

"Wait, you guys hear that?" Danny whispered. "Get away from the windows."

The group ducked behind the counters, as the hunters' Humvee came cruising through, and then it was gone. The group got back up, slowly.

"That damn truck." mumbled Emmitt. "Been hounding us ever since we got into this-"

"Leo, what're you doing?" Manchas asked Leo.

"Nothing. I'm just looking." Leo said, holding a toy robot in his paw.

"Well, put it back." said Manchas.

"My backpack is practically empty. This thing weights like nothing." said Leo.

"Son, what's the rule about taking stuff?" asked Manchas.

"We only take what we have to." Leo sighed, putting the robot back where he found it.

"That's right. Now, let's go." Manchas said, leading the group to the back door.

Clem looked back to see Alan sneaking the toy into his backpack, when none of the adults were looking. Clem couldn't help but smile at that.

Outside, the group took cover as a group of hunters were conversing near a couple of vans. Two hunters, both weasels, were up on a roof. Nick grabbed some supplies out of his backpack, and customized a nail bomb, which he threw at the the three zebra hunters, blowing them to smithereens. Judy made quick work of the two weasel hunters with her rifle.

"Whew. Not bad there, long ears. You too, old timer." said Danny.

"Old timer? I'm only thirty-two. How old are you?" asked Nick.

"Twenty-six." said Danny.

"Alright, our hideout is up that way. Let's go." Manchas pointed to the rooftops.

The group made their way up one of the vans, and up the rooftops. They crossed a metal bridge, and into another office building.

"You sure this place is secure?" asked Nick.

"Well, we locked it. They don't have the key." said Manchas, pulling out the key, and unlocking the double doors.

"How'd you get that?" asked Judy.

"I took one out for it. They won't miss it, now." said Manchas, as he led the group down to the end of the room, which was an artist's room.

There was a conference room to the right, and a kitchen lounge to the left. At the end of the room was the main director's office, which served as Manchas' group's hideout.

"Welcome to our office, Mr. Wilde, and Ms. Hopps." said Emmitt, jokingly.

"So, how long have you guys been holding up in here?" Clem asked Leo.

"Few days." said Leo. "We found a bit of food, though. Here, we'll show you."

"So, how old are you, guys?" Clem asked the Otterton boys, as she sat down on the couch with them and Leo.

"I'm eight. Alan's six." said Oscar.

"That young, huh?" said Clem, in amazement.

"How old are you?" asked Alan.

"Um, sixteen." said Clem. "How old are you, Leo?"

"Me? The same." said Leo.

"Oh, you're sixteen. Huh?" Manchas smirked, knowing his son was just trying to impress the girl.

"Well, I'm close." admitted Leo.

"Okay." Manchas smiled, playfully.

"Don't worry. I am." Leo whispered to Clem.

"We have blueberries. Found a whole stash of them." said Olive, holding a handful of blueberries to Nick. "Want some?"

"No thanks." Nick politely declined, but then reconsidered. "On second thought, I'll have one or two."

Nick ended up taking half. "Mm. Haven't had one of these in years." Nick said, savoring the taste of blueberries.

"You can relax, Nick. We're safe here." Emmitt grinned.

"So, why haven't you guys left?" Nick asked, pocketing the rest of the blueberries.

"Been waiting for the right opportunity." said Manchas.

"And?" asked Judy.

"Here, we'll show ya." Danny said, leading the adults to a window. Down below, a group of hunters were guarding the checkpoint gate, leading to the bridge.

"Just look at those smug sons of bitches." sneered Danny. "Everyday, they congregate down there. Guarding that damn bridge."

"Come nighttime, it's down to a skeleton crew." said Manchas. "With most of them gone, we sneak right past them. That's our window."

"That could work." said Nick.

"Oh, it'll work, alright." said Emmitt. "It'll definitely work."

"Emmitt, look." Olive grinned, pointing to the kids.

"Wow." Emmitt chuckled.

The adults saw Clem trying to balance a blueberry on her muzzle. She flicked the blueberry into the air, but it landed on her head, instead of her mouth. The boys giggled, along with Clem.

"Blueberry hurt ya?" Leo chuckled.

"I wanna try again." Clem laughed, rubbing her forehead.

"It's been a while since those boys cracked a smile." said Emmitt.

"Maybe they'll hit it off." grinned Judy. "They could all use someone their own ages, kid or teenager, to hang with. Someone new to the mix is a good touch, too."

"She doesn't seem bothered by all of this." Danny referred to Clem.

Nick grinned, seeing Clem smiling and laughing like that with the boys, it reminded him when a few kids from the elementary school in his town came to visit his own little... Nick shook his head clear, inner scolding his mind to not be bringing stuff like that up, again.

"So, where were you guys headed?" asked Nick, sitting down in front of the desk.

"We heard the Fireflies were based out west, somewhere." Manchas said, sitting behind the desk. "We were thinking of joining up with them."

"Yeah, sure." Nick chuckled.

"Something funny?" asked Manchas.

"Oh, nothing. It's just a lot of mammals are putting all their stock on the Fireflies, these days." said Nick.

"That's what I keep telling this sorry bunch." Danny rolled his eyes. "Their cause is a lost one, but I think them, and anyone who looks up to them, is just in denial."

"Well, maybe there's a reason for mammals pinning their hopes on them." Judy retorted. "You should also never judge a book by it's cover, either. Sometimes, you just might surprised, if you have a little more faith in something."

"Thanks, mom." Danny rolled his eyes, again.

"So, you guys have no clue where they are, and you're just drag your boys cross-country to find them?" asked Nick.

"I'll tell you this." Manchas leaned in, closer. "How about we worry about our kids, and you worry about yours?"

"Easy, buddy." said Nick. "It just so happens we're on the same boat. We're looking for the Fireflies, too. Actually, I know one. My brother, Gideon. He used to be a Firefly, but not anymore. Last I heard, he was in Bunnyburrow, down in Wyoming. So, we find him, we find the Fireflies. What do ya say? You guys want in?"

Manchas, Danny, and the Ottertons looked at each other.

"Well, let's wait until we ask the boys. Don't want to make a big decision like that, without consulting them, first." said Olive. "Last time we all made a decision without consulting anybody... Well, that's how we got here, now."

"In the meantime..." Emmitt pulled out a map of Zootopia, laying it on the table. "Here's where we are. Over here is an abandoned military radio station, just outside the city. Any survivors from our group, there's supposed to meet us there, tomorrow."

"You two and Clem want to join us, it goes down tonight." said Manchas.

"Well, I'd guess we better rest up, then." said Nick, nodding his head.

"Way ahead of ya, boss." Danny said, slumping on the other couch, and pulling up his hood, drifting off to dreamland.

...

Night had fallen, when Clem woke up Nick, who was asleep in the same chair he sat in, earlier.

"Emmitt says it's time to get moving." said Clem.

Nick nodded, and pulled himself up.

"Alright, boys. We're gonna be moving fast. So, no matter what, you two stick to me and your mom like glue. Got it?" Emmitt instructed his sons.

"Got it. Like glue." the boys repeated back.

"Good, boys." Olive patted them on the back. "Alright, gang. Everyone ready?"

"Guess we're gonna find out." said Nick.

"Good, follow me." said Manchas, as he led the group out of the office. "Y'all stay close. It's just down this flight of stairs, up ahead."

"You guys ever tried this, before?" said Judy.

"Uh, yeah. Once." said Danny.

"That's reassuring." Nick rolled his eyes.

"Relax, old man." said Danny.

"Just hope you guys know the way." said Nick.

"It's this way." Manchas pointed to the flight of stairs, leading down to the main lobby.

The group made their way down, but stopped short as two lion hunters were conversing inside, trying to get warm by a barrel fire.

"We need to take them out, quietly." Manchas whispered to Nick. "I'll follow your lead."

"Okay." Nick said, crouching and crawling slowly to the hunters, Manchas behind him.

The duo took out the lion hunters with their shivs, then motioned for the group forward, the coast clear. From outside, the group could see the gate, but the hunters had a searchlight, shining it around the streets, looking for Savages.

"There's a Howler! Get it!" One coyote hunter called, and fired at the rabbit Howler with his rifle. "Hoo-yeah! Bulls-eye!"

"Okay, there's a generator over there, and a guard. You guys hang back, while I take care of the guard, and Danny gets the generator, which'll turn off the searchlight. As soon as it's off, move up. We'll use the cover of the dark to get the jump on the hunters." Nick laid out his plan. "Me and Danny can use the cars laid around as coverage, and to advance our way up, while the light is moving back and forth."

"So long as I get to use Ol' Betsy here, I'm all for that plan." said Danny, pulling out his bat.

Nick and Danny began moving along the side of the cars, standing in the shadows, while the searchlight kept finding more Howlers to target. Nick and Danny moved up as the searchlight was more to the right, making to another row of cars, just mere feet away from the gate. The light moved across to the left, this time. Once the light past them, Nick and Danny hopped over the cars, with Nick taking out the hyena hunter, and Danny turning off the generator, thus turning off the searchlight.

"Hey, we lost power to the light! Let's check it out!" called the coyote hunter.

"Okay, they did it. Let's move up." said Judy. "Stay close, kids."

The group moved up to where Nick and Danny ducked back behind cover. Several hunters were already on the ground, searching. Nick, Judy, Danny, and Olive snuck up, and took out four of the seven hunters with their knives and bat, while Manchas and Emmitt finished off the remaining three with their guns.

"Alright, that's all of them. To the gate." Manchas pointed to the large, metal door.

Nick and Manchas lifted up the large, metal bar holding the gate closed, and the group rushed inside as the Humvee came into sight. Nick and Manchas slammed another metal bar between the gates, locking the hunters and their Humvee out. On the top of a truck was another coyote hunter, but Judy was quick to take him out with her gun, before he got a chance to shoot. The outer gate was rusted shut, so the group had to climb up and across the truck.

"Alright, up and over this truck! Let's go!" Nick said, giving Manchas a boost up.

Manchas climbed up a small, remaining part of a ladder, which the rest was mainly sawed off on purpose, or broke on it's own. After Manchas was on top of the truck, Leo went next, then Olive, Emmitt, Oscar, and Alan. When Clem was boosted up, the small ladder broke off, but she caught the edge of the roof, just in time. Leo and Oscar pulled Clem the rest of the way up.

From behind the group, the Humvee was trying to break through the inner gate.

"Okay, now we gotta get them up!" said Oscar, referring to Nick, Judy, and Danny.

Manchas looked to them, then to the gate, and then back to the three, remaining mammals, wondering what to do. "I'm sorry, there's no time. We need to go, now!"

"What?!" exclaimed Leo.

"Renato we can't just leave them!" said Olive.

"Now!" ordered Manchas, pulling Leo away.

"Renato! Oh, Damn." Emmitt grunted, leading his family away.

"Guys, wait!" called Clem.

"What the fuck, guys?!" Danny called, in disbelief.

Nick and Judy just looked on, in disbelief. Clem jumped back down to Nick, Judy, and Danny.

"Kid?! What're you doing?! You just blew your only chance!" said Danny.

"We stick together!" said Clem.

"Wait, there's a garage door, here! Maybe we can get through here!" Judy pointed to the garage door.

All four mammals lifted the garage, while Nick held it open for Judy, Clem, and Danny to crawl through. Danny held the door open for Nick for him to crawl through, and slammed it closed, just as the Humvee broke through, and open fired on the door, the sound of the bullets bouncing off the strong metal of the door.

The team of four made their way through the garage, leading into a tavern, where three wolf hunters were guarding the area. Danny took out one hunter with his bat, while Nick and Judy took the remaining two out with their guns. The coast clear again, the four rushed to the double doors, but found it chained up, so they ducked under and squeezed through the small gap in the doors.

As soon as they were out, they rushed to the bridge, but then, the Humvee broke through the rusted gate. The four ran faster, as the truck had it's lights fixed on them, and opening fire with the machine gun. The four took cover behind old train cars to dodge the bullets, all while running for the end of the bridge, but to their horror, the rest of the bridge was blown away, in half.

"Oh, shit!" cried Danny.

"What'll we do know?!" Clem cried, in a panic.

"C'mon, up and over this train car!" said Nick. "We'll run right past them!"

"Nick, they're gonna kill us!" said Judy.

"What other choice do we have?!" said Nick.

"We jump." said Clem.

"No, Clem! It's too high, and you can't swim!" said Judy.

"You guys can keep me afloat!" said Clem.

"Clem!" Nick exclaimed, just when the Humvee tried crashing through one of the train cars, blocking them from the four mammals.

"No time to argue! Go!" Clem shouted, then ran, and jumped into the water.

"Clementine! No!" shouted Judy.

"Aw, dammit!" Nick shouted, then rushed to the edge of the bridge. "GO! GO!"

Nick, Judy, and Danny jumped into the water, after Clem. They resurfaced, being pulled down by the rapids.

"NICK!" Clem cried, flinging her arms into the air, trying to stay afloat.

Nick swam with the current, but fighting against it at the same time, so he wouldn't miss Clem. "I got ya! I got ya!" he said, grabbing Clem in his arms.

"Nick, look out!" Judy cried.

Nick looked up to see a large rock, pointing out of the surface of the water. "NO! NO! NO! NO!"

The last thing Nick felt, before falling unconscious, was the hard force of the rock, smacking against his back...

 **Well, guys. Gonna stop this chapter at what makes out to be the best cliffhanger, if it were considered that in the level of the game. Next one, will probably the last chapter in the summer arc.**

 **So, Manchas and his son, Leo, an OC of mine, replace Henry and Sam from the game, replacing a father-son relationship instead of brotherly relationship. The Otterton family is based on a group, led by a man called Ish, found and mentioned in the sewer level of the game, with only Ish, one woman, and a couple kids are the only known survivors. How that ties into this fanfic, that'll be explained in the next chapter. Daniel, or Danny for short, if that's okay for me to call him that, is the OC created by a guest reviewer. So, thank you for introducing him. I'll be sure to work a good backstory for him, later on in the fanfic.**

 **I own nothing, except a few OC's, minus Daniel. All rights go to original owners. No copyright intended. Thanks. Stay tuned for more of this fanfic.**


	8. Chapter 7: Old Haunts

**Hey, guys. I'm back with another chapter, the last chapter in the summer arc. Hope you enjoy.**

Nick was the first to awake, the feel of soft sand on his back, easing the ache in it. Nick's eyes fluttered open to see Judy, Clem, the Otterton brothers, and Leo standing over him, waiting for him to wake up.

"Mom! Dad! Nick's awake!" Oscar called.

Nick looked over to see Danny stirring awake, too. "Oh, what hit me?" Danny groaned.

"Hey, you two. We're okay." said Judy. "Sorry, Dan. You took too much water, so I had to hold you up."

"Good thing the rapids eased down. Thanks for holding onto me too, Judy. I couldn't hold onto Nick while trying to stay afloat, at the same time." said Clem.

"See? They're good. Everything's fine." Emmitt chuckled in relief.

Nick stood up, followed by Daniel. The two foxes marched to Emmitt and Manchas.

"Y'know, Olive and Leo were the ones that spotted you." said Manchas. Olive and Emmitt had some difficulty getting you out all at once, but-"

Daniel knocked Manchas on his back, and held his bat in front of him.

"Dad!" Leo rushed to Manchas, but Nick pulled out his gun.

"Stay back, son!" shouted Nick, before pointing to Emmitt, who shielded his terrified family.

"Nick! Dan! What're you doing?!" cried Judy.

"It's okay! They're pissed off, but they're not gonna do anything." said Emmitt.

"You sure about that?" said Nick, angrily.

"Stop, please!" Olive begged.

"Nick! Don't!" Clem said, putting a paw on his shoulder, while Judy held Danny's bat arm with both of her paws.

"They left us to die, back there!" sneered Danny.

"No! You had a good chance of making it, and you did." said Manchas. "But, coming back for you, meant putting our kids at risk."

"Now, if it was the other way around, would you come back for us?" Emmitt reasoned. "We saved you."

"They saved us, too." said Clem. "We woulda drowned."

Nick and Daniel just looked to Manchas and Emmitt, then to Olive and the kids, then back to Judy and Clem. Nick holstered his gun, and Danny slung his bat on his pack. Leo helped up his father.

"It's fine. I'm okay." Manchas reassured his kid. "Y'know, for what it's worth, I'm really glad we spotted you." he said to Nick, and the others.

"Alright, now that radio tower is on the other side of this cliff, okay?" said Emmitt. "Place is gonna be full of supplies. You're gonna be really happy you didn't kill me or Renato here, boys."

"We'll search this area, over here. See what comes up." Manchas said, as he and Leo headed towards the cliffs.

"That was intense. You guys cool?" said Clem.

"Yeah. C'mon, let's get to that radio tower." said Nick, as he led Clem, Judy, and Danny towards the rest of the beach.

"Are you sure you're okay, honey?" Olive whispered, as they followed behind Judy and the foxes.

"I'm okay, Olive." said Emmitt. "They could've shot me, but they didn't. I trust them. You trust me?"

Olive just nodded. "At least they've got someone like Judy and Clem to count on them." said Oscar.

"Good point, son." said Emmitt.

"Y'know, I thought you guys were gonna kill them." said Clem.

"Almost did. Not Olive and the kids, though. We're not monsters." said Nick.

"Can I still be mad, at least?" Danny sulked.

"They're fine. I think they're good to have around." said Judy.

"I reckon you're right." said Nick.

"Hey, let's go check out this boat. Maybe it'll have supplies." Clem pointed to a beached tugboat.

"I-I think we should just keep moving. It looks pretty cleaned out." said Emmitt, stopping him and his family from going near the boat.

"C'mon, Emmitt. I've never been on a boat, before." said Clem, climbing up the port side of the boat.

"Well, it's a little different in the water." said Nick.

"One step at a time." said Clem, looking into the bridge.

"Emmitt, is that...?" Olive asked, pointing to the boat. Emmitt nodded, nervously.

Judy noticed Emmitt's odd behavior. "Is everything okay, guys?" she asked.

"Oh, y-yes. It's just... doesn't look safe." said Emmitt.

Judy raised an eyebrow. Something about the boat made the otter seem off. The question was, what? Judy shook her head, knowing better not to pry. It was probably just a bad experience they had, so all the more reason not to pry.

"Say, Nick. You ever been on a boat, before?" Clem asked, as she and Nick were done collecting supplies left on the boat, and joined with the others on the beach.

"Oh, yeah. I actually owned a sixty-foot yacht." Nick grinned.

"Really?!" Oscar asked, wide-eyed.

"No." Nick chuckled.

"Oh, so you do have a funny bone, underneath all that thick skin of yours." Danny smirked.

"Don't push it, kid." said Nick.

"Still, making progress with the sarcasm." said Clem.

"Hey, Clem! We found something!" Leo called from up on a rocky ledge.

"Let's go see what it is." said Clem, as the rest of the group headed up the ledge.

"Look, here. This must go all the way through." Manchas pointed to a large grate, leading into a sewage tunnel, embedded in the cliff.

Mustering all their strength, Nick, Danny, and Emmitt pulled up the grate, and held it open for the group to pass.

"Alright, come on, kids. You first." Nick grunted, trying to focus on holding the gate.

Clem and the boys crawled in first, then Judy and Olive, then Emmitt and Danny. Danny held the grate open on the opposite end, allowing Nick to crawl through. Danny slammed the grate shut.

"Alright, flashlights on." said Manchas, turning on his flashlight. "Leo-"

"I know, pops. Stay close." Leo said, switching on his flashlight.

"Someone's learning." Manchas grinned, proudly.

"So, Nick. You think Emmitt's group will join us all the way to Gideon's?" asked Clem.

"Supposed we're gonna find out." said Nick.

The group trekked through the dark, wet, and smelly tunnels of the sewers. Through the cracks in the roof came in the moonlight. Soon, the group's path was met by a large pool of water.

"Hey, guys. You think that leads out?" Oscar pointed to a large, gaping hole in the roof, showing the group they were right underneath a supermarket.

"No, there's no way for us to reach that, son." said Olive.

"Well, I can't swim." Leo said, pointing to the water.

"That makes two of us." said Clem.

"Me and Oscar could teach you how to swim." Alan offered.

"As much as I appreciate that, Al, I don't think this is the right place for it." Clem declined, politely.

"Alright, lovebirds. Got any bright ideas?" Danny asked Nick and Judy.

"Well, there's a generator, on the other ledge, there." Judy pointed to the other end of the room, in front of them. "It looks like it could move this platform, connected to this large tractable pipe, here."

"Only problem is that ledge is too high to reach for us, in the water." said Nick.

Nick looked around, and saw a large gate, and a valve on the wall near it.

"Maybe that could help." Nick said, turning the wheel. However, the gate barely opened. "Looks like something's jamming the gate. I'll dive down, and check it."

Nick jumped into the water, and dived below to find a rusted pipe, jamming the gate. Nick swam up, pulled the pipe out of the gate, and resurfaced.

"Judy, give it a spin." called Nick.

Turning the wheel, Judy brought the gate all the way up. Nick swam through, and up onto another floor. There, Nick found another pallet, and moved it into the water, bringing the pallet back to the ledge.

"Alright, Clem. Get on." said Nick.

"On it." said Clem, jumping on the pallet.

"Oh, there you go. That's smart." commented Emmitt.

Nick pushed Clem's pallet to the opposite ledge, where Clem climbed up, and started the generator.

"Alright, guys. Get on that platform." Nick called, swimming out of the way.

The whole group piled onto the platform, as it moved across the water.

"Can't believed that actually worked." Alan said, stepping back onto solid ground.

"I gotta say, I'm impressed by you, guys." Emmitt said, bending down and helping Nick up out of the water.

"We're pros at this by now." Clem smirked.

The group continued down the path, but stopped at the most bizarre sight, and out of place to be in a sewer.

"What is up with THIS?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow.

In front of the group, there was a doorway, and all around it, was a picture of a large castle, complete with trees, grass, bushes, the sun, clouds, and the sky as a background, drawn all over the walls with chalk.

"Do we have to go through this?" asked Clem.

"M-maybe there's a way around it." Olive said, nervously.

Danny just walked up, casually, and kicked the double doors open. Hanging from the roof of the tunnel, a cart, tied between two pieces of rope, fell forward, and dropped several bottles of glass.

"A sound trap." said Danny.

"A what?" asked Clem.

"A sort of alarm." said Nick. "Let's anyone know if there's anyone intruding in here. Let's move, and watch the glass."

The group moved around the broken shards on the floor, since they had no shoes on. In fact, shoes were more scarce these days, as most mammals never wore them, even back then.

"Who would stay in here?" asked Leo.

"Someone who thought they could keep a place like this safe." Emmitt muttered. Olive held his paw, comfortingly.

"Hey, Look." Clem pointed to a ball, and two goal nets. "C'mon, boys. One quick game."

"Clem-"

"Uh, relax. We'll keep it down. Just one quick game." Clem assured Nick. "Alright Oscar, you're on my team. I'll be the goalie. Leo, your the goalie for Alan's team."

Clem and Oscar took the right side, while Alan and Leo took the left. Oscar made the first kick. Alan stepped in, and kicked the ball back. Oscar blocked the ball, and kicked it again. The ball went right past Alan's legs, but Leo stopped it from hitting the net, and kicked it right to Clem's net. Clem stopped the ball, and kicked it into the air, but Leo caught the ball, winning the game.

"Nice catch." Clem smiled.

"Nice kick." Leo smiled back.

"Overall, nice game." agreed Oscar.

Nick silently grinned at the kids, playing. Nick's memory faded back to when he attended a junior soccer game. Best way to start off summer vacation, for him and his... Nick shook his head, clear. His memories were really starting to fight their way back into his mind, but he fought back.

"Alright, kids. We should get moving. Plenty of time to practice, later." said Nick.

The group continued, but stopped short again, this time, by the sound of Savages. Nick, Judy, and Danny took the lead to see three beaver Stalkers, and a panda Howler. Nick and Judy open fired at the Stalkers with their shotgun and rifle, while Danny rushed up, and whacked the panda Howler in the gut with his saw-bat, toppling it down to the ground, then smashed it's head into mush.

"Yikes. I guess now we know what happened to these mammals." said Clem.

"Seeing as there was a Howler here, they've been gone a long time." said Nick.

"We have to keep moving. All we can do is hope there aren't any more of them. Doubtful, I know." said Manchas.

Judy looked back to see Emmitt just staring at the remains of the Savages, a guilty look on his face.

"Emmitt, come on. We need to keep up." Judy called.

Emmitt shook his head clear, and joined the others. The group moved down the path again, yet they were met with another dead-end.

"Hey, think that leads out?" Clem pointed to a bridge, above where the group was standing, leading to a doorway.

"Probably. But, it seems too high for a boost." said Manchas.

"Wait. Um, Emmitt. Can I ask you something, real quick?" said Judy.

"About?" asked Emmitt.

"It's just... Ever since we got in here, and back at the boat, you've had this queasy or guilty look on your face." said Judy. "I don't mean to pry, but I'm just concerned. Is there something about this place you know, and you're not telling us?"

Emmitt held his breath, then released a heavy sigh. "There is something I should tell you. I should've said it, sooner."

"It happened at the start of the outbreak." Emmitt started. "Zootopia became one of the first city's on the east countryside to be hit by the infection, before the military stepped in, and made parts of it into a QZ. My family and I lived in the Rainforest District, when everything went down. Everyone started piling into boats, hoping to get somewhere safe, and out of the city, quicker. Me and my family were one of those mammals. We stayed out on the water for weeks, surviving as best as we could. But, the boat had seen better days, supplies were dropping, so it was only a matter of time before we had to head into shore. When we did, we decided to hold underground, in the sewers. Not the cleanest, but it was well-hidden from dangerous mammals and Savages."

"So what? This was like your summer home, or something? Before you moved to Hartford?" Danny remarked, sarcastically. Judy shot a glare.

"That's when we met this other family." Emmitt continued, ignoring Danny's comment. "They were friendly enough. A whole family of mice. Kyle, the father, Kara, his wife, and their kids. We all looked out for one another. It worked, but then, I forgot to lock the door, leading to our camp. One of the Savages got in, then another, and another. My family and I got out, but Kyle's family, they... I wanted to go back and search for their bodies, but even I knew it was too dangerous at the time. My family means everything to me, and I'll do anything to protect them, but my biggest fear is getting someone else killed, because of my mistakes."

"Emmitt, what happened, it wasn't your fault. You weren't the one that killed them. Mistakes happen. I know that for myself, long ago. Sorry I pried, but I'm glad you told us." Judy gave an understanding smile.

"Oh, barf." Danny rolled his eyes.

"Save it, Dan. We've wasted enough time as it is." said Nick. "Look, there might be a way out through there."

Nick approached a fenced gate onto the right, but when Nick opened it, a barrel attached to a rope fell down, and the squeaking sound of a gate was heard.

"Guys, move back!" Nick cried, as a large, metal gate slammed down, separating him, Judy, Leo, and the Otterton brothers from Clem, the brothers' parents, Manchas, and Danny.

"Boys!" Olive cried with worry, as she and the others peeked through the small barred windows in the metal gate.

"We're okay, mom! We're fine!" Oscar called.

"Sorry, that was me. Must've triggered some kind of safety gate trap, or something." said Nick.

"Carrots, you, me, and the others see if we can get this open. You kids stay where you are." Nick instructed, as the adults got to work in moving the gate up.

"So, this is awkward." Clem said, through the window.

"Yeah, I know." admitted Leo. "It feels like every time that-"

"Wait, guys. I heard something." Clem said, her ears pointed up, in alert. "That sounds like Howlers."

"What?!" Judy said, lifting her ears up. The familiar sound of infected mammals filled the air.

"Hey, this thing ain't budging, man." said Danny, with worry.

"Look, just get outta here. We'll catch up, later." said Nick.

"Leo, you and the boys stay close to them." Manchas said to Leo.

"Manchas, we gotta move, now!" said Clem, getting ready to run.

" Wait! Mom! Dad!" Alan cried, as the other half of the group took off.

"We'll be okay, baby! Just stay safe!" Olive called back, as they ran out of sight.

"Hurry!" Judy cried, then stopped as several Howlers moved on the prowl.

"Alright, they're gonna be okay. We're gonna be okay." Nick reassured.

"I know. How do we get to them?" said Leo.

"Just stay close, boys. Maybe, there's another path that loops around." said Nick. "Let's go see."

"Wait, Nick. I hear Stalkers." Judy whispered, her ears up, and alerted.

The group ducked behind the walls, looking around the corner to see at least half a dozen Stalkers roaming the area. Nick and Judy pulled out their guns and shivs, Leo and Oscar doing the same, drawing their guns. Nick snuck up, and took out a cheetah Stalker with his shiv. An antelope Stalker spotted Nick, but Judy took it out from behind with her shiv, before it could make any moves. Two more antelope Stalkers heard the commotion, and came limp-running, but Nick and Judy were faster, putting them down. The last two Stalkers, two red pandas, came suddenly out of nowhere, but Oscar and Leo had Nick and Judy's backs, firing at the pandas in the back, while Nick and Judy dealt the final blow to them with their shivs. Sure enough, the coast was clear, again.

"Holy cow. I can't believe you guys got 'em all." said Alan.

"Let's not push our luck, Al. Let's get moving." said Nick.

The group continued down the hall, when they found themselves in a bizarre room. The room was set up with things like bookshelves, filled with books, toys scattered on play mat foam, a chalkboard, crayon drawings were scribbled on the walls, and a baby crib.

"Whoa. It suddenly feels so... familiar in here." said Oscar, looking around the room.

"I remember when I used to draw, a lot." said Leo, looking at the pictures on the wall. "This place almost feels like a nursery, or a classroom."

"This crib. I remember mom always tucking Alan in it, when he was a baby." said Oscar.

"Why couldn't dad keep a place like this safe?" asked Alan.

"Son, I wish I knew. No one means for stuff like this to happen, like Judy said. No one deserves that, forced to leave their home. Seeing mammals they know and love, just gone like that." said Nick, wearing his own forlorn look.

"Come on, guys. Maybe there's a way up this ladder." Judy pointed to a ladder at the back of the room.

Nick boosted up Leo, and he brought down the ladder. Leo and the two Otterton brothers climbed up first, then Judy, then Nick. Down the corridor, The group could hear gunshots, and a voice.

"I hate these freaking things!"

"That's Clem!" said Leo.

"Clementine!" Oscar called, as the group ran down the corridor, and jumped down the ledge. Sure enough, Clem came running down the hall, with the Otterton parents, Manchas, and Danny right behind them.

"Clem! Guys!" said Judy.

"Kids!" said Olive, as she and Manchas hugged their kids.

"Hey, you guys are okay!" Clem exclaimed, in relief.

"Run first, hug later!" said Danny.

The group continued running down the hall as a pack of Savages came piling down the hall. Nick and Danny kicked two double doors closed, and sealed it shut.

"That's not gonna hold." said Danny.

"The gate's shut!" said Manchas, trying to push at another gate, which was blocked by a metal pipe. "Maybe, it we push it, together."

Nick, Manchas, and Judy pushed against the gate, but to no avail.

"Leo, wait!" Clem called, as Leo crawled through a floor vent in the wall. "Guys, Leo just went through the vent."

"He what?!" said Manchas.

"Leo, what're you doing?!" Manchas called, seeing Leo crawl out onto the other end of the gate.

"Getting us out of here." said Leo, running to unstuck the pipe in the handle.

"Hurry, then!" said Manchas.

The Savages were pounding at the door. Everyone got their guns out, just in case for a big fight.

"Okay, got it! Let's go!" said Leo, opening the gate.

The group dashed through the gate, headed straight for the room with the exit. The group stopped short as the door wouldn't open, blocked from the outside.

"Damn thing's stuck!" cried Manchas.

"The window!" Emmitt pointed up to the window, above the door frame.

"Gimme a boost. I'll open it from outside." said Clem.

"I'll help her." said Leo.

"Hurry!" said Manchas, boosting up Clem, and then Leo, through the window.

"Boys, you go with them." said Olive.

"What about you guys?" said Alan.

"We'll be fine. Just help Clem and Leo open the door." said Emmitt, as Manchas boosted Oscar and Alan through the window.

From behind the group, the sound of the doors breaking open could be heard from down the hall.

"They've broken through. We gotta hold 'em back until the kids get the door open." said Nick, holding up his pistol.

"Finally, you get to have some fun, Betsy." Danny said to his bat.

"Stay sharp, guys." said Judy, holding up her pistol.

The first came an arctic fox Howler, which Danny took out with his bat. Three hare Stalkers came out next, but were brought down by Nick, Judy, and Manchas, with their guns. Two otter Howler came crawling in next, but Olive and Emmitt took them out with their knives. At least two more leopard Stalkers, and one otter Howler entered, but Danny and Olive brought down the Stalkers, while Nick brought down the Howler with their knives and bat.

"Guys, we got it open! C'mon!" Clem called from the open doorway.

"Alright, move!" Nick called to the group. "Let's go! Let's go!"

Judy and Olive made it out first, then Emmitt and Manchas, then Nick and Danny were the last out, closing the door, and sealing it with the large vending machine, that blocked it in the first place.

"Finally. Fresh air." said Judy, gasping in a big breath of air.

"What the? Look at that." Leo pointed to a large sign, painted on the wall, that read, 'Savages. Do not enter'.

"Oh, are you kidding me?" said Clem.

"Sorry, I put that there." said Emmitt. "I didn't think we'd be coming back through here, again. So, I forgot that those blocks in the gate and the door we're there. I put us in danger, again."

"That was a long time ago, Emmitt. We're out now. That's what matters. It ain't your fault." reassured Judy. Emmitt nodded, acknowledging.

"So, where's the radio tower?" Nick asked Manchas.

"We're close." said Manchas. "Yep, there it is. What'd I tell ya?" Manchas pointed to the tower, sticking out in the distance.

"Let's get moving." said Nick, leading the group into a rural neighborhood, just outside of Zootopia.

"Let's check some of the houses here, for some supplies." said Nick, leading the group into one red-colored house.

While the adults searched the house, the kids caught their breath on the couch, Alan sitting in Clem's lap, and Oscar in Leo's lap.

"How we doing, Leo, ol' boy?" Manchas asked his son.

"That was probably the closest call we've have so far, huh?" said Leo.

"Not one of our finest moments, but, we got out. You did good, too." said Manchas. Leo nodded a thank you.

"How about you, Clem? You and the Otterton boys okay?" asked Judy.

"Yep. When I was with Danny, Manchas, and the Ottertons, I took out a couple of Savages on my own." said Clem. "You and Nick'd be proud."

"I'm sure we would." said Nick.

"Your boys also helped us fight some Savages, too." Judy told Manchas and the Ottertons.

"It was mostly Oscar. I just stayed by his side." said Alan.

"When did you decide to teach an eight-year-old how to use a gun?" asked Nick.

"Back in Hartford." said Emmitt. "When I heard the military was abandoning the zone, I decided to train my boys, separately. I thought eight was the right age for them to learn, so I thought Oscar, and when Alan's old enough, I'd teach him."

"So, Clem. How did you meet Nick and Judy?" asked Alan.

"Oh, this... friend of mine, a friend of my mom's, Dawn was her name, asked them to take me to the Fireflies, back in Boston." said Clem.

"You three seem to get along pretty well." said Leo.

"Yeah, but now I just order them both around. Ain't that right, Nick?" Clem grinned, mischievously.

"Do I know that? No, no I don't." Nick smirked.

The group moved onto the next house, a white-colored house, with a hole in the wall, leading to the kitchen, and a sign painted on the outside, that read, 'U LOOT, I SHOOT'.

"Wonder what this neighborhood was like before the pandemic hit? I can't even imagine." said Alan, looking around the kitchen.

"I was only eleven, when it happened, five years ago." said Clem. "That would mean you were only one year old when it happened, and your brother was three. Right?"

"That sounds right." said Oscar.

"I was ten when the Night Howlers happened." said Leo. "My memory's pretty hazy, but I remember me, my dad, and my mom all living in a neighborhood, just like this one, down in the Rainforest District of Zootopia."

"What do you guys remember?" asked Clem.

"Barbecues." said Leo.

"Our neighbors would throw these crazy barbecues. I remember the smell of cricket burgers, more than anything." said Manchas.

The group moved down the road, searching for more houses to look for supplies in. Most houses they couldn't get in because they were boarded up tight.

"Hm. 'Will shoot on sight'." Leo read one sign between the roof, and a second story window. "Must've been a lot of friendly mammals in this area."

"Back during the early months of the pandemic, mammals started boarding themselves in their own houses, afraid to go outside, because of the infection. said Manchas. "You remember any of that, Nick?"

"Mammals that wouldn't go to the QZ's started barricaded themselves inside their own homes. Then, supplies started to run out. That's when you saw what mammals were really capable of." said Nick.

"Talk about a real crappy beginning of the end, huh?" said Danny.

Continuing down the street, a group of hawks was spotted just up the road, feeding on the remains of a turtle.

"Oh, cool. I haven't seen hawks since that time that bird handler brought one in at school." said Oscar.

"You're gonna wanna be careful, son. It's not like at school. These hawks are wild." said Olive.

When the group cautiously moved forward, the hawks flew away.

"Oh, well." said Alan. "Hey, what kind of truck is that?"

"Oh, that's an ice cream truck." said Leo, pointing to the small truck, with pictures of labels of ice cream, and a shuttered window on it's side.

"What's that?" asked Oscar.

"Oh, well. Before the pandemic, mammals would sell ice cream out of trucks like this around towns and cities." said Clem.

"Oh, no way." Oscar stated, in wonder. "Did that ever happen in your hometown, Nick?"

"Oh, yeah. All the time." Nick grinned. "This thing would drive around, play real loud, creepy music, and kids would come running out to buy ice cream. On the summers, I actually had a pawp-sicle stand."

"You're screwing with us." said Judy.

"Nope. Serious." said Nick.

"You guys sure lived in a strange time." said Alan.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'd kill for a sundae, right now. Metaphorically, speaking." said Danny.

"Is today a Sunday?" said a confused Oscar.

"A sundae is a type of ice cream dish, hon. Made with a banana and cherry on top." said Olive.

"I think the last time I had one of those was... Huh, I can't remember." said Danny.

The group continued down the street, but the road was blocked by debris.

"Oh, cheese and crackers. Well, maybe there's a way around, up past between those houses." said Judy, pointing back up to the neighborhood.

Hey, look. The Firefly symbol. They were here." Clem pointed to a Firefly symbol, graffitied on the wall.

"This brother of yours, Nick. How long has he been a Firefly?" asked Danny.

"A couple years." said Nick. "He's not a Firefly anymore, but he does have a good idea where they are. So, like I said, we find him, we find the Fireflies."

"You guys thought more about our invitation on joining us to Wyoming?" asked Judy.

"It does sound like a good plan." said Manchas.

"Welp, might as well make it unanimous." Emmitt agreed.

"Alright, it's not like I have anywhere better to go to." said Danny, rolling his eyes.

Heading back up, the group worked their way into a brick house.

"Ugh, is anyone else hungry?" Clem groaned, comically.

"Yes." Leo eagerly agreed.

"Easy, kids. We'll break when we get to the tower." assured Manchas.

"Hey, guys. Darts." Oscar pointed to a stool, with five darts on the seat, and a target board, hanging in the living room wall.

"Just one game. Two darts, against two teams of me and Alan, you and Leo, Clem." said Oscar.

"Sounds good to me." said Clem.

"Kids, just be careful. Those poke." said Olive.

"Roger that, mom." said Oscar.

Leo went first, but landed on one of the outer targets. "Damn."

Alan's turn was next, and he landed close to the bullseye. "Boosh! I'm a natural."

"Luck." Leo scoffed.

Clem went next, and landed on the same target next to Alan's dart. "Oh, heck yeah!"

Oscar was the last one up, landing his dart just right above Leo's dart. "Oh, horrible."

"Okay, so it's a tie." said Clem.

"No, you guys clearly got destroyed." said Oscar.

"How did we get destroyed?! That's practically a tie!" Clem insisted.

"Whatever." Oscar rolled his eyes, as he and Alan walked out of the living room, victoriously.

Clem just scoffed, and shrugged like, 'Really?'

Nick, observing the game, took the last dart on the stool, and threw it at the board. Yet, Nick's aim was so far off, it hit the wall, not even close to the target board.

"Shut up, Carrots." Nick glared at the grinning bunny.

"I'm not saying anything." Judy held up her paws, still keeping that smile.

"There'll come a day when kids can just be kids, again." said Olive.

"Let's go." said Nick.

The group walked out the back door, towards the backyard, which had a staircase, leading to more of the neighborhood, and closer to the radio tower. As the group climbed down, suddenly came the sound of a bullet hitting one of the cars next to the group out of nowhere. The group ducked behind more cars, as another bullet zoomed right above them.

"It's a sniper!" growled Manchas. "Nick, were you able to see where it came from?"

"Somewhere down the street." Nick said, peeking from behind the car, then ducking back when another bullet went off.

Nick was able to catch a glimpse of a twinkle from the largest boarded-up house in the neighborhood, right at the end of the street.

"It's that big house, right at the end of the street. Judy, you're with me. Rest of y'all, stay here." said Nick.

"No, it's too dangerous for just you two." said Clem.

"It'll be more dangerous, if we all move up at the same time." said Judy.

"We need you guys to keep him distracted. We'll go around, and see if we can't get the angle on him." said Nick.

"Okay, but hey. Be careful." said Clem.

"Be back in a bit." Judy said, as she followed Nick's lead.

Nick and Judy ran to the next car to the right, as another bullet hit the wall, behind them. Parkouring over the hood of the car, the duo ran to cover behind a woodstack, as a bullet hit the wood. The duo made a run for a brick house. Outside, they could hear the hunter shouting at them, taunting them out of hiding.

Nick and Judy made another run outside, ducking behind another car. The duo made a run to a garden wall. Nick and Judy parkoured over the wall, then ran behind a white-colored house. The duo ducked behind a generator and an oddly misplaced sofa, when three hare hunters started to open fire. Seeing one hunter ready a molotov, Judy open fired at him, hitting the molotov, and it exploded, setting all three hunters burning to a crisp.

The duo advanced, taking cover behind an already burnt house. The house was almost within reach, but two or three more more rabbit hunters had it guarded. Nick took out the smoke bomb he found back in the city, and threw it into the street. The smoke bomb exploded, and the duo rushed into the safety of the smoke, ducking down to avoid fire. The hunters opened fire, but they missed their targets as Nick and Judy ran into the next house.

Sneaking out the back door, Nick and Judy went around, and open fired on the hunters. Once the coast was clear, the duo snuck around the back, through an alley on the right of the house. The duo ran into the back door, and worked their way up to the top floor of the house.

Nick and Judy scanned the room where they thought they saw the hunter. The sheep hunter ambushed Nick with a knife, but Nick grabbed his arms, and made the sheep hunter stab himself with his own knife. Nick took the knife, and stabbed the hunter a couple more times, for good measure, at least, in his standards.

"Sweet cheese and crackers, Nick! Overkill, much?!" said Judy.

"Sorry you had to see that." Nick said, and ran to the sniper rifle.

Through the scope, he could see the group moving up, away from another advancing group of hunters. Nick open fired at every hunter he could find, taking precision aiming, while covering for his group. Just when it looked clear again, that's when a dangerously familiar sound came rolling down the street.

"Oh, no. No, no, no!" Nick said. "Carrots, it's the Humvee, again."

"What?! How'd they find us?!" said Judy.

"I dunno, but I gotta stop it." said Nick.

The Humvee open fired at where the group was hiding behind another bunch of wrecked cars, pinning them down. Several more hunters were there, so Nick took them out first,to lessen the threat. The Humvee suddenly stopped, and the top hatch opened. Nick saw his chance, as a raccoon hunter peeked out, and was about to throw a molotov, when Nick took the shot. The raccoon fell, as the molotov fell into the truck, and exploded. The Humvee exploded, and crashed into a house, the driver fell out of the truck, burnt to a crisp.

"Holy crap. That was intense." said Clem. "Thanks, guys." Clem called, giving a thumbs up to Nick and Judy.

"Is everyone alright?" Manchas asked. The group nodded. "Good, now let's move."

"Guys, Howlers!" Clem shouted.

Three cheetah Howlers appeared, drawn to the commotion, as two toppled over Manchas and Leo. Nick shot the Howler over Leo, while Clem shot the Howler over Manchas. Danny took the third Howler out with his bat.

"You guys okay?" Clem asked, helping Manchas to his feet.

"Leo, you okay?" Manchas asked, as Emmitt helped Leo to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine." said Leo.

"You sure?" Manchas checked, again.

"Yeah, I just said I'm fine." Leo insisted.

"There's more Savages coming!" Emmitt cried. "Everyone in the house, now!"

The group made a run for the house, as a few more Savages came running down the street. Nick was able to shoot down a few more, but soon the street was overrun with a whole, huge pack of Savages.

"Oh, God." Nick gasped, amazed at how many Savages there could be in just one, same place. "Judy, time for us to move, too."

Nick and Judy ran down to the main floor, where the rest of the group had barricaded the door. The Savages clawed at the boarded-up windows, and pounded at the door.

"Hey, you're okay." Clem said to Nick and Judy, in relief.

"Still in one piece. Anyone else hurt?" said Nick.

"No, we're good." said Manchas.

"Alright, I think it's time we quit this place. Let's go." Nick said, leading the group out the back door.

The group rushed through a space in the back fence, and lost the pack, as they continued running up the hills, into the forest, where the radio tower was in sights.

...

Night had fallen, and the whole group was gathered around in a circle, a dim light on in the back, and a mini-stove cooking some canned fish in a pan.

"Shut up, man." Danny chuckled.

"Serious." Nick replied, eating blueberries out of a can. "It was Gideon's birthday, and all he wanted to do was just... rent two Harleys, and drive cross-country."

"Oh, man." Danny chuckled, again. "If I could just ride one around the block, then that'll cross off everything on the bucket list."

"So, what was it like?" asked Manchas.

"Oh, it was good. Real good." Nick said, nonchalantly.

"Just good? Can you believe this guy?" Danny said to the kids. "C'mon, man. Give us more details. Describe it."

"Okay, how about you grown-ups have some adult time, while us kids have some kid time in the other room?" said Clem.

"No, no, Clem. This isn't any motorcycle. Okay?" said Danny. "You get on that bad boy, you feel that engine. Nothing like it?"

"Oh yeah? How would you know?" Clem joked.

"I've seen it in my dreams. Ever since I was ten. Vroom, vroom!" Danny laughed.

"Okay, we'll come in to bed, soon. You guys get to know each other a little better." said Clem.

"Clem, it's not like they're on a date." Oscar joked, as the kids went into the other room.

The adults laughed, then took a deep breather.

"I don't think anyone from our group is gonna show up." said Manchas, matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, sorry." said Judy, looking concerned.

"Worst part of all, explaining it to the boys." said Manchas.

"You think they already know? I mean, you guys got some smart kids. You'd be proud of that." said Nick.

"You're right about that." said Manchas.

"Say, Nick. Um, there's something me and the misses would like to get off our chests, too." said Emmitt.

"We thought about it, and we decided not to go to the Fireflies." said Olive. "It's not you guys, it's us. It's a number of reasons. One, after what happened in the sewers, we'd feel like we'd be a danger to the group, on the road. In a community, like the QZ in Hartford, or the one your brother's in, in BunnyBurrow, we'd be more of a reliability."

"You guys need to protect your family. We get it. I know a thing or two about losing family, myself." said Judy, a sad look on her face.

"The other reason is... I'm pregnant." said Olive, to everyone's surprise. "It happened before Hartford was abandoned. There hasn't been a right time to say anything. I think the Fireflies have more bigger things to worry other than infants."

"How far are you?" asked Judy.

"A month." said Olive. "Not sure how to tell the kids about any of this. I know they'll get along great with their new sibling. It's the fact that they'll be leaving Clem and Leo is what worries me. Especially since I know how they look up to Clem and Leo."

"True. They hit it off, well. They still have lots of time together. BunnyBurrow is still quite a hike." said Judy.

...

"Well, it's safe to say those six have officially bonded." said Clem.

"I'm gonna take stock of all the food we found, today." said Leo, looking at all the cans.

"Oh, I got something to share with you guys." Clem said, taking a small book out of her backpack.

"What's that?" asked Alan.

"A jokebook. 'No Puns Intended, Volume Too, by Will Livingston'." said Clem, then read the first joke. "You guys wanna hear a joke about pizza? Forget it, it's too cheesy."

"Oh, man. That's awful. I love it." Oscar giggled.

"What did the green grape said to the purple grape?" read Clem. "Breathe, you idiot."

"I don't get that one." said Alan, raising an eyebrow, then his face lit up, in realization. "Oh, wait. I just got it. Good one, Clem." he giggled.

"Hey, you guys wanna hear a joke I got?" said Leo. The three nodded. "Okay, why can't a nose be twelve inches long?"

"Dunno. Why?" asked Clem.

"Well, then it'd be a foot." said Leo.

The Otterton brothers guffawed. "That was terrible. I loved it." grinned Clem.

"Thanks." Leo grinned, then turned to a serious look. "Hey, guys. No joke, but can I ask you this? You think I screwed up, today? Well, you think my dad thinks like that?"

"What? No, of course not." said Clem. "I'd think he's glad to have a kid, like you. Plus, I'd say we all did good back there. Especially, you."

"Thanks." Leo muttered.

"You okay, Leo?" asked Oscar.

"Oh, yeah. Everything's good." Leo insisted.

"Okay." said Clem.

"Hey, Clem. How is it you're never scared?" asked Leo.

"Who says that I'm not?" said Clem.

"Well, what're you scared of?" asked Leo.

"Well, let's see." said Clem. "Scorpions are pretty creepy."

"Yeah, i'm scared of spiders, too. One bug I'll never eat." said Alan.

"But, in all seriousness, it's being by myself." said Clem. "I'm scared of ending up alone. What about you, guys?"

"Yeah, ours too." said Oscar. "Leo?"

"Those things, out there." Leo pointed to the window. "What if the mammals are still inside? What if they're trapped in there, without any control of their body? I'm scared of that happening to me."

"Okay. First off, we're a team, now. We look out for one another." said Clem. "Second, they may still look like mammals, but who they were, they're not there, anymore."

"Mom and dad said they've moved on. That they're with their families. Like, in heaven." said Oscar. "Do you believe in something like that, Clem?"

"I go back and forth." said Clem.

"Yeah, me too." said Leo. "You guys, too?"

"Were brought up to." said Oscar.

"Oh, all this serious talk, I almost forgot." Alan said, reaching into his backpack, and pulled out the toy robot, handing it to Leo. "If he doesn't know about it, he can't take it away."

"Alright, I'm all tuckered out." said Clem, grinning. "I'll see you guys, tomorrow."

"See ya in the morning, Leo." said Alan, as he and Oscar followed Clem back into the other room.

Leo looked at the toy, then tossed it onto the ground. Sitting back on the chair, he pulled up his pants leg, a deep scratch mark, left from the Howler earlier, clearly visible.

...

Clem was awoken by the smell of food in the air.

"Damn. That smells good." Clem yawned.

"Morning, kiddo." said Nick.

"Hey, where's Leo?" asked Clem, rubbing the sand from her eyes.

"I let him sleep in, for once." said Manchas. "You want him to join us, you could go wake his tail up."

"Okay." Clem said, walking into the other room.

In the other room, Clem could tell there was something wrong with her panther friend, by the way he was standing. He also appeared to be twitching, too. "Leo?" she asked.

"LEO!"

The group was alerted by Clem's cry. The door burst open, Clem falling onto her back, holding back the Savage Leo, who tried to claw at her.

"Oh, shit! He's infected!" Nick cried, reaching for his pistol, but was stopped by Manchas.

"That's my son!" shouted Manchas.

"He's gonna kill Clem!" Danny shouted back, raising his bat over Leo.

However, Danny was stopped, as Manchas shot his own son down. Leo fell back, a pool of blood forming behind his head.

"Clementine! Are you alright?!" Judy said, running to the shaken vixen. Alan and Oscar rushed to their friends' side, too.

"I'm okay, yeah. Oh, my God." Clem gasped.

"Oh, no." Judy said, looking to a grieving Manchas.

"Leo... Renato, what have you done?" Manchas sobbed.

"Kids, wait there with Judy." said Nick, slowly approaching Manchas. "Manchas, I-I'm gonna get that gun from you now, okay?"

"It's all your fault." Manchas sobbed, pointing the gun at Nick, stricken with grief.

"Whoa, calm down, now!" Nick said, trying to ease the panther.

"Manchas, no! This is no one's fault, here!" said Emmitt, shielding Nick.

Manchas's paws shook, then brought the gun to his head.

"Manchas! No!" Emmitt cried, but it was too late.

Manchas shot himself in the head, and fell. Judy and Olive shrieked.

"Oh, my God." Clem gasped, shielding Oscar and Alan from having to watch.

...

Outside, the group had dug two graves for Leo and Manchas. Judy and Danny were the ones who buried them. The group all shared a moment of silence for their lost friends. Judy looked back to see Nick, standing away from the rest of the group, visibly shaken. Judy gave a look of concern.

"I think... It's time for us to get moving, again." Judy said, slowly.

As the group made their way into the forest, Judy walked beside Nick.

"Nick... are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah." Nick simply stated. "That just... got to me, back there. I try not to let things get to me, but back there..."

"Well, if you ever want to talk, I'm right here." Judy said, holding his paw.

Nick silently nodded, in gratitude. What Nick didn't share, was during that moment, it was a scene of deja vu for him. It was... Cassie, all over again. Nick didn't bother to shake his head clear of the memory, this time...

 **Well, guys. That's it for this chapter, now considered the longest chapter I've done in a fanfic, EVER. Also, this is the last chapter of the summer arc of the story. Up next, will be the autumn arc of the story.**

 **Now, this is where the constructive criticism comes in. Since all the mammals in the world, I imagine, are evolved, I may need help figuring out an idea on what to replace with horses. In the game, you get to ride on a horse, so, with this being a crossover, there needs to be an animal, not a mammal, that can be used like a horse.**

 **I do have one idea, that involves big birds like** **ostriches or emus, what with their big legs, and their shapes, but that kind sounds kinda stupid, a little. I dunno, just let me know what you guys think in the reviews. It's important to get this part right, guys, so any help, I'd appreciate it. If no ideas come to mind, that's okay too, and I'll go with this idea, just to let you guys know. I just wanna know what you guys think. With that said, hope you guys are enjoying it, so far.**

 **I own nothing, except a few OC's, minus Daniel. All rights go to original owners. No copyright intended. Thanks. Stay tuned for more of this fanfic crossover.**


	9. Chapter 8: Family Affairs

**Hey, guys. I'm back with another chapter. This one marks the start of the autumn arc of the crossover. Hope you all enjoy it.**

 _(Autumn)_

The rain came down over the pine tree-covered forest. The rain sprinkled down the pines, onto the grass, turning the fresh soil into mud. The rain filled the river bed, bringing the water level past it's normal fill, and the current was much faster than usual. Through the rain, the group of mammals emerged from the trees, and into the clear bluff.

Nick wore a red flannel shirt, and jeans. Clem wore a white and purple hoodie, and jeans. Judy wore a blue hoodie, and jeans. Danny wore a camouflage hoodie, and jeans. Oscar and Alan both wore dark green rain cloaks, and tannish pants. Emmitt and Olive both wore dark green, woolen sweaters, and tannish pants. They all still had the same backpacks, though.

"Jackson County." Clem read the large sign on the dirt road. "That means we're close to BunnyBurrow. Right?"

"Just got a little more ways, but we'll get there." said Nick.

"So, ready to see dear, old baby brother, again?" asked Danny.

"We'll just have to see." said Nick.

"You feeling nervous?" asked Judy.

"I don't know what I'm feeling, honestly." said Nick.

The group continued down the old dirt road, but the rest of it was cut short at the end of a cliff, evidence after years of erosion.

"Can't go this way. Maybe there's a way down there." Nick pointed to a path down the right.

The path was made of several, smaller cliffs, that served as stepping paths, leading down to the river. The group began to climb down one by one. Emmitt went first before Olive, so he help her down into his arms, placing her on the ground, again. Despite her protests, Emmitt did that for every small bluff, until they reached the river, on account of Olive's condition.

"Are you sure you're fine, dear? We can stop for a break." said Emmitt.

"Emmitt, I'm having a baby. I'm not an old bag, just yet." Olive insisted, placing a paw over her abdomen, already starting to show with the little future Otterton growing inside her.

Nick silently smirked to himself. There was a time he felt that frantic, like Emmitt, back when his Cassie was expecting... Nick's smirk disappeared, and shook his head, again. Nick couldn't even bring himself to remember her name. How long was it since he let some of the memories flow into his mind, again?

"Say, Nick. What happened between you two?" Clem's question brought Nick back to reality.

"What do you mean?" Nick asked, as the group continued to follow the river, upstream.

"You and Gideon." said Clem. "You guys are clearly not together, so something must've went down."

"We just had a disagreement. That's all." said Nick.

"Ah, here we go." said Clem. "What was that disagreement about?"

"Clem, if he doesn't wanna talk about it-"

"It's fine, Carrots." Nick said to Judy. "I just saw the world one way, Gideon saw it the other."

"So, that's why he joined the Fireflies?" asked Oscar.

"Yeah, the leader, Bellwether, promised him hope." said Nick. "That kept him busy for a while, but, just like Gideon, he eventually gave that up, too."

"What was it like? I mean, you two left on good terms, right?" asked Judy.

"Welp, I do believe his last words to me were, 'I don't ever wanna see your smug face ever again'." said Nick.

"Geez, but he's gonna help us? Right?" asked Clem.

"Suppose we're gonna find out." said Nick.

"Well, with or without his help, we'll get there." said Judy. "Besides, I'm sure he's put that all behind him, and he'll be happy to see you, again. Siblings can't stay mad at each other, forever."

"Like with me and Oscar." said Alan.

"I reckon you're both right." said Nick. "Look, there's the hydro-electric power dam."

Up ahead, the group came towards a large, concrete dam. Up the hill, was the power plant, that oversaw the lake, and the use of the dam.

"A hydra-what?" asked Clem.

"It runs the water through the dam, and that powers the plant up there, and the town." said Judy.

"How does that work?" asked Alan.

"I know what it does, I don't know the entirety of how it works." said Nick.

"Me neither. After living my entire life in this town, you'd think I'd know." said Judy.

"Oh, that's right. This was your old home, Jude." said Clem. "So, gonna feel a little weird, being back?"

"Honestly, I doubt if there's anyone still there that remembers me, anymore." said Judy. "I wouldn't be surprised if all my old friends were... Um, let's talk about something else."

"Nick said Gideon met your parents, when they lived down in Texas?" asked Clem.

"Yeah, I knew who they were, but I've never met them, personally." said Nick.

"My family moved out of Wyoming, and down to Texas, when I was your age, Clem. Sixteen." said Judy. "I went into the police academy, because I wanted to be the first rabbit officer, I graduated, but when I was about to head out and start my own life... The world changed, and it took my dream with it."

"Must be tough, having your dreams getting broken, by something like this." said Clem.

"Dreams are one thing, but that's not the worst that this world has taken from most of us. All of us, I should say." said Nick, solemnly.

"What do you mean?" Judy asked.

"Nothing." Nick sighed, trying to avoid the topic, but only increased Judy's curiosity over the fox's past.

"The river's moving too fast. Looks like we're gonna have to cross from the two flood gates on the dam." said Nick, as he turned the wheel, opening the left flood gate.

"Alright, just gotta get the other one open, except the valve's on the other end." Clem said, pointing across the water.

On the group's side, there was a set of steps, and a smaller platform that Nick could get in and out of the water from, but the opposite end of the dam didn't have anything to help Nick climb up, and turn the valve.

"You guys wait here. I'll find something that might help." said Nick, as he jumped, and dived into the water.

Below the water, Nick swam towards a sunken, old container, and swam inside to find a pallet, wedged between the corners of an open hole. Nick pushed the pallet free out of the hole, and followed it back up to the surface. Grabbing hold of it again, Nick brought it back to Clem.

"Alright, Clem. Let's-"

"I know, I know. Step on the freaking pallet." Clem rolled her eyes, and jumped on the pallet.

Nick pushed Clem towards the opposite end of the dam. Jumping off, Clem turned the valve, and opened the other flood gate. Nick swam back to the others, and they began crossing the floodgates, which now served as a bridge to cross. Nick went first, then Judy, then Emmitt, then Olive, then Oscar, then Alan, and lastly, Danny.

"Teamwork." Clem said, raising a paw for a high-five, which Nick returned.

The group continued past the dam, when they came across the remains of a camp. Just outside the camp, a small grave laid, with a teddy bear, leaning on the cross.

"That's too small of a grave." Nick sighed, sadly.

"Oh, man. I forgot to leave that stupid toy on Leo's grave." said Clem. "What should I do with it?"

"Clementine... Not now, okay?" said Nick.

"What? I wanna talk about it." said Clem.

"Clem, please. These things just... happen. But, we gotta just... move on." said Nick. "Let's just get to Gideon's."

"Fine." said Clem, as the group continued onward.

"What's gotten into Nick all of a sudden? He's acting weirder than usual." said Alan.

"So? He's always been weirder than usual." said Oscar.

"Boys." Olive softly scolded the two brothers.

"Sorry, mom." said Oscar.

"Ugh, I am so hungry!" Clem groaned, comically.

"I know. All of us are, too." said Nick.

"Okay, next lizard I see, I'm shooting it." said Clem.

"Keep your hoodie on, Clem. We're almost there." said Nick.

"Okay, but if we starve, it's on you, guys." said Oscar.

"If I starve, I'm eating Alan first." said Danny.

Emmitt and Olive glared back at him. "Kidding. I was just kidding." Danny insisted. "Geez, mammals these days are so sensitive."

"Looks like we're gonna have to cut through the plant." said Nick, approaching the gate.

As Nick tried to open the gate, the group was met by the sound of guns clicking. Looking up, there were a couple of mammals from a guard post, up top of the gate. Clem, Oscar, Judy, and Danny readied their weapons. Nick was about to reach his, but...

"Don't even think about reaching for your weapon! Tell the others to drop theirs, now!" ordered a vixen, pointing a rifle at them. The vixen had blonde fur, and blue eyes. She wore a dark overcoat, with a grey shirt underneath, and jeans.

"Guys, do as the lady says." said Nick. Judy, Oscar, Clem, and Danny complied.

"Please, tell me you're lost." said the vixen.

"Look, we didn't know the place was occupied. We're just trying to make our way through to Bunnyburrow." said Nick.

"What business you got in Bunnyburrow?" said the vixen.

"They're okay." called a voice from behind the gate.

"You know these mammals?" asked the vixen.

"I know him." said the voice. "He's my brother."

The gate opened, and out came a fox wearing a denim jacket, with a grey shirt underneath, and jeans.

"Gideon." Nick smiled.

"Hot damn." Gideon smiled back, and hugged Nick.

"How you doing, bro?" Nick said, returning the hug.

"Told you they'd make up." Judy grinned.

"Barf." Danny rolled his eyes.

"Lemme look at ya." said Gideon, breaking the hug. "You may be in your thirty's now, but ya look a little older than that, to me."

"Easy, kid. Savor every moment of being twenty-seven, now. But, it's gonna happen to you, too." chuckled Nick.

"I'm surprised you remembered." said Gideon. "Oh, I should introduce ya."

"This here's Vicky." Gideon introduced the vixen, from earlier. "She's my wife. All gotta get wrangled up at some point, y'know. Be nice to her, too. She and I run things around here."

"Well, ma'am. Thanks for not blowing our heads off." said Nick. "Congrats on getting tied to this twerp."

"Would've been embarrassing. Considering your my brother-in-law." Vicky grinned. " Not to mention the fact you have kids with you, and another on the way. I can tell. That would've been super embarrassing."

"Judy?"

Judy turned to who called her, and her eyes widened. Behind Gideon and Vicky was an older couple of rabbits. The male had brownish fur and amber eyes, wearing overalls, a plaid shirt, a red vest, and a green ball cap. The female had grey fur and purple eyes, wearing a sleeveless pink plaid shirt, a purple vest, and a carrot-patterned skirt.

"Mom? Dad?" Judy covered her mouth, in surprise.

"Bon-Bon..." Bonnie Hopps whispered, and she and Stu Hopps hugged their lost daughter, tears in their eyes.

"Well, I'll be..." said Nick, smiling.

"I-I'm so sorry, guys. I didn't mean to leave you, like... Like..." Judy said through sobs.

"C'mon, Jude the dude. Now, you get sappy on us?" Stu joked.

Judy dried her eyes, and grinned. "Oh, I should introduce you." she said. "This is Nick. This is Clementine. This here's Danny. Lastly, these are the Ottertons. Olive, Emmitt, Oscar, and Alan. Plus, their new addition-to-be."

"Quite the group you got here. All predators, you being the only prey." said Stu.

"Got a problem with that, ol' man?" asked Danny.

"Oh, no siree. If it hadn't been for Judy, opening our minds to predators not being all bad, we wouldn't've helped build all this with Gideon and Vicky." said Stu.

"You guys are co-leaders with them, too?" asked Judy.

"Yep. We're partners in leadership, now." said Bonnie.

"That's... Really cool of you, guys." said Judy, amazed.

"So, what brings you all here?" asked Vicky.

"Well, the Ottertons here want to join your community. Me, Nick, and Jude need Gideon's help with something. It's a really, REALLY long story." said Clem.

"Well, we can always talk more inside about it." said Stu.

"Sure. Any of you kids hungry?" asked Vicky.

"Starved, actually." said Oscar.

The leaders of Bunnyburrow brought the group inside, Gideon shutting the gate behind them, and locking it for good measure.

"False alarm! They're friendlies!" Vicky called to the guards. "We've been dealing with a lot of bandits in this area. Can't be too careful."

"So, mom and dad. Is this where you guys have been all this time?" asked Judy.

"When we heard that there were mammals trying to take back Bunnyburrow, we made the decision to come back, and help rebuild life there." said Stu. "Ever since then, we've been teaching mammals how to farm, repair, carpenter, the works."

"So, Emmitt. If you and your family want to join us, what is it you did for a job?" asked Bonnie.

"I was a florist. Could that be helpful in any way?" said Emmitt.

"Maybe, you could be a farmer, with knowledge of plants, like yours." said Bonnie. "We'll give you a couple pointers, if you like."

"So, Gideon. What're you doing in this place? Thought we'd find you in Bunnyburrow." said Nick.

"Been trying to get the hydro-plant back on. We had electricity, Nick, but one of the turbines blew a fuse. We'll get it back up again." said Gideon.

"Oh, no way." said Clem. "You guys have ostriches."

Clem and the Otterton brothers ran to pet the long-legged birds, that served as mounts to middle-sized mammals.

"Y'know, we could always take you kids out riding on one of them, if you like." said Vicky.

"That'd be great. It's been a while since I've ridden one." said Clem.

"How do you know how to ride an ostrich?" asked Nick, petting one of the ostriches.

"This soldier back in the Boston QZ, Wolford, he gave me lessons." said Clem.

"Alright, let's continue the tour." Gideon said, leading the group up a flight of stairs.

"Hey, Earl." Vicky greeted a beaver worker. "Shouldn't you be clocking out for your shift, yet?"

"Still waiting on Houser and the rest of the boys to relieve me." said Earl.

"Look, we got this. Go home to your family." insisted Vicky.

"I can wait it out for a couple more hours." said Earl.

"Okay, take it easy." said Vicky.

The group continued their tour into the interior of the plant, when Stu's walkie clicked on.

"I got that." Stu said, clicking his radio on. "Stu here. What's up?"

"We're in the control room, Stu. Steve says he's gonna start it back up. Says he's got it fixed, this time. Wanna come look?" said the voice on the radio.

"I'd like to catch up with Judy, a bit." admitted Stu.

"Well, I'd rather get to know her, and Clem, and the guys a little more, too." said Vicky.

"It's my turn, anyway. I'll go." said Gideon.

"I'll go with you." said Nick. "Clem, you and the other go get some food with Vicky, Stu, and Bonnie. I'll be back."

Wait, Nick. I'd thought you'd join us, too." said Clem.

"It's okay, Clem. Let's give the boys some time to catch up on their own, too." said Vicky.

"Okay." Clem reluctantly agreed. She didn't know why, but she had this nervous feeling in the back of her head that wouldn't go away, when she saw Nick and Gideon walk into the next room.

"We're sending Gideon over. His brother, Nick, is with him. Stand by." Stu called into his radio, as he led the group into a lounge room.

...

"This'll be the sixth time, they've been trying to get the plant running, again." said Gideon. "Been here a week, but it feels longer than that."

"Oh, Nick. I got something for ya." Gideon said, walking to a duffel bag. "Last year, I went back to Texas. Back home. Most of our stuff was already long gone. Most of it."

"Here. It's a little faded, but it still looks pretty good." Gideon said, handing a picture to Nick.

Looking at the picture, Nick saw it was of him, and... Cassie... and Abby.

Nick and Cassie were dressed in their usual clothes, while Abby was dressed in a soccer-playing uniform, and in her paws, was a soccer trophy. The memories came flowing back into Nick's mind. The names of his wife and daughter. The day this photo was taken, the soccer tournament at Abby's school. The happiest day of her daughter's life.

Nick found himself smiling, but then, the memories were replaced with the one from... That day. The day he saw them... Nick shook his head, again.

"I'm good." Nick said, handing the picture back to Gideon.

"You sure?" Gideon asked, hoping Nick'd be happy to have this. "I-I mean-"

"I said I'm good." Nick insisted.

"Okay. I'll hang onto it, for ya." Gideon said, putting the picture back in the bag.

"Gideon." said Nick. "I need to talk to you. Privately."

"Okay, sure." said Gideon. "Let me just check on the guys, real quick."

The two foxes walked out to a railway, connecting to another building of the plant.

"I dunno what you heard, but you should see the town. We're over twenty families strong now, and counting." said Gideon. "It was Vicky and her parents. They set up this idea of making towns self-sustainable. We got crops, we got livestock, like chickens and fish farms. Remember how no one thought we couldn't live like this, anymore? Well, we're doing it."

"What about protection?" asked Nick.

"The adults take turns, guarding the perimeter. We even got an electrified fence, once the plant's up and running, again." said Gideon. "Still gotta deal with bandits and Savages, but it's the world we live in, now."

"Well, maybe it won't have to be for long." said Nick.

"You sound just like Dawn." Gideon chuckled.

"That's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about." said Nick.

The two foxes walked inside to see many different mammals at work in the main engine room, that powers up the rest of the plant, which in turn, powers up the whole town.

"These two geniuses are gonna try to bring the plant back to life." Gideon pointed to two beaver workers.

"We think we've got it, this time." said one beaver.

"Alright." Gideon smirked.

"You don't believe us?" said the other beaver.

"I didn't say that." Gideon joked.

"Bet you a million bucks it works this time." said the first beaver.

"Sure, make it two-million." Gideon joked back, as he and Nick walked onto another railway, overlooking the turbines in the large room.

Nick and Gideon several mammals working on repairing the turbines. From up top, there was a large crane, guiding a large, metal guard for one of the turbines. The crane slowly came down, and locked the guard in place with the turbine, with a few mammals fusing it back on.

"Okay, boys! Give'er a go!" Gideon called.

The turbine ran, and the lights above the roof flickered on. The mammals cheered.

"Hot damn! We did it, boys!" Gideon called. "Good job. Someone get on the horn, and tell, Vicky, Stu, and Bonnie the good news."

"Looks to me like your outta couple million bucks, now." Nick smirked.

"Alright, Nick. Let's go talk." Gideon chuckled.

The two foxes walked down a flight of stairs to the ground floor, and into an office.

"Quite the crew, you got here." Nick said, closing the door behind him.

"Yeah, they're good mammals." said Gideon. "This place gives them a second chance. Gives us all a second chance. So, why'd you leave Boston?"

"I've been on quite the adventure, bro." said Nick, sitting down on a chair.

"I reckon it's got something to do with that group of yours." said Gideon.

"Actually, it's got everything to do with Judy and Clem." said Nick.

"Well, go on." said Gideon.

"Judy happens to be the second-in-command of the Fireflies, and Clementine is immune to the Night Howlers." said Nick.

"What?" said Gideon. "Oh, come on, Nick."

"No, it's true." said Nick. "Judy may not look like it now, but she's tough as nails. Clementine, I've seen her breath in enough spores to take down a dozen mammals, and nothing. Now, I wouldn't've believed it either, but me, Clem, and Jude can prove it to you. All I'm asking is that you keep this hushed for now."

"Alright, then. I'll bite." said Gideon, sitting on a chair of his own. "So, why bring them here?"

"Dawn asked me to bring them to the Fireflies, back at their lab." said Nick. "Now, the way I figured, they're your boys, you drop them off, and finish the whole damn job."

"I haven't seen a Firefly in a long time." said Gideon.

"Yeah, but you do know where they are, by now." said Nick. "Look, Gideon. I'm not asking for much. I just want some simple gear, enough to set me on my way."

"Where would you even go?" asked Gideon.

"I dunno. Maybe down south. Los Angeles, maybe?" said Nick.

"Uh-huh. Well, what makes you think I'd do this for you?" asked Gideon.

"This isn't for me, Gideon. This is for YOUR cause." said Nick.

"My cause is the new family I hope to start with Vicky, now." said Gideon. "We ain't talking about some walk in the park, here."

"Sweet cheese and crackers, boy!" said Nick. "If you won't do it, then have Vicky get some of your born-again friends to do it."

"They've all got families, too." said Gideon.

"Gideon, for the longest we've known each other, have I ever asked you for anything this big, before?" asked Nick. "Please, I really need this."

Gideon sat in thought, then sighed. "You want some gear, fine. But, I ain't taking that rabbit, or that vixen, off your hands."

"So, this is how you're gonna repay me, huh?" Nick asked Gideon, who stood up from his chair.

"Repay you?" asked Gideon.

Nick shot up out of his seat. "For those first couple of years, where I took care of us." he said.

"Took care? Is that what you call it?" Gideon retorted. "I got nothing but nightmares from those years."

"It's because of me, you survived!" Nick shouted.

"It wasn't worth it, then." Gideon stated.

Nick pushed Gideon against a locker. "I bring you the cure for all mammal-kind, and you wanna play the pissy little brother, right now?" he hissed.

"We ain't back in Boston." sneered Gideon. "You lay your hands on me again, it won't end well for you."

"I can't keep doing this, Gideon, and I don't think I need to spell it out for you to know why!" shouted Nick.

"Maybe we wouldn't be talking like this now, if you had done something different, that night! You should've been there with us! It's because of you, they're gone! You could've stopped that soldier from pulling the trigger! You could've stopped Cassie from pulling the trigger! The gun was mine, but it was in your paws!"

"Now, you see here, Nick." Gideon pointed to Nick. "Don't you EVER go pointing THAT to me, again!"

"Cassie was my WIFE! Abby was my DAUGHTER! She was NINE-YEARS OLD! They were my FAMILY!" shouted Nick.

"Cassie was my SISTER! Abby was my NIECE! They were MY family, too!" Gideon retorted.

"Nick, who was it that stood up for you, when Cassie brought you home, and daddy thought you were bad news? I did. Who was your best mammal at yours' and Cassie's wedding? I was. Who was it that drove you to the hospital, when you didn't have a ride, and when Cassie was in labor? I did. Who was it that looked after Abby, when you guys needed to work late, and needed someone to look after her? I was. How do you think I felt, after what happened that night? There are times when I think I should've done something different, too. So, don't go turning that around on me. It was no one's fault, what happened that night. You ain't the only one who had their whole world broken right in front of you."

Nick was about to say something else, when the sound of sirens rang outside.

"What is that?" asked Nick.

"We're under attack." said Gideon, grabbing his rifle. "We gotta get back to the others. You still remember how to kill, right?"

"Yeah." said Nick, pulling out his shotgun.

"Let's go." Gideon said, as he and Nick headed out the door.

"Bandits!" one of the workers called.

"Stop them! Don't let any of them into the building!" Gideon called, as he and Nick ducked behind cover.

One of the bandits, a raccoon, took out one of the workers, a moose. Nick and Gideon open fired on the bandits. Nick, Gideon, and two other moose workers fought their way up to the railway, taking out the bandits up there, and they fought more in the control room.

"Vicky, are you there?! Come in!" Gideon called into his radio.

"Gideon! Bandits have broken into the building!" Vicky responded.

"I know! We're headed towards you! Stay where you are!" said Gideon.

"Hurry! There's too- Oh, crap! Kids, hide!" Vicky shouted, as the radio turned to static.

"Vicky?! Damnit!" grunted Gideon. "We gotta get back to the others!"

The group worked their way outside, back to the outer railway, which was swarming with bandits. Nick moved up first, as he threw a molotov, and a nail bomb, which he quickly constructed himself. As soon as most of the bandits were blown away, Gideon and his workers moved up beside Nick, and took out a few wolf bandits to their left with their guns, and Nick took out one remaining beaver bandit on his right, with his shotgun.

"Alright, that's all these sons of bitches." said one of the moose.

"Inside, quick!" Gideon said, as the group rushed into the other building.

Right below them, were three more antelope bandits below on the first floor. Nick and Gideon quickly took them out with their guns from above the second floor railing. The four rushed down, and stopped to take cover from behind the wall, peeking through the doorway to see one bear bandit, and two horse bandits in the entrance room. Nick crawled up behind a pool table in the room, and took out the bear bandit, with his shotgun. Gideon took out both antelope bandits with his rifle.

"That was too close." said Nick, as the coast was clear again.

"Vicky!" Gideon called.

"Gideon! We're alright! The others are safe!" Vicky called, as she and the rest of the group emerged from a break room.

"Vicky, are you okay?" Gideon asked, hugging his wife. Vicky nodded.

"Nick!" Gideon turned to see Clem and Judy rushing up to Nick.

"Oh, man! You should've seen it, Nick!" said Clem. The bandits stormed in, and Vicky was like, 'We gotta hide!' She and Judy's parents were amazing. When the bandits stormed in, and Stu started blasting them with his shotgun, and-"

"Clem, hey, hey, hey! Slow down, slow down!" said Nick. "Now, listen to me. Are any of you hurt?"

"No, we're okay." said Clem.

"You sure?" asked Nick.

"Yes, we're fine, Slick." reassured Judy. "Are you okay? It's you we should be worried about."

Gideon saw the whole thing. This is what Nick meant, as memories of Cassie and Abby flashed into his mind.

"Ah, damnit." muttered Gideon, then turned to Vicky. "I need to talk to you."

...

"Absolutely not! You tell him to go find someone else!" said Vicky.

"Vicky, I can't have this hanging over my head." said Gideon.

"Do you realize how many mammals we lost here, today?" said Vicky.

Gideon and Vicky were debating outside, Nick and Judy were sitting outside, watching and waiting to see what would happen.

"Hey, what's that about?" asked Clem.

"We'll talk about it, later." said Nick.

"Does that have anything to do with me? Did Gideon tell you where the lab is?" asked Clem.

"I said, we'll talk about it, later." Nick repeated.

"Later..." Clem muttered, that feeling in the back of her head, returning.

"Right..." Clem muttered again, then walked off.

Nick tried to say something else, but couldn't, then turned back to Gideon and Vicky.

"It takes one. One screw up, and then I turn into one of those... widows! Okay?!" said Vicky.

"I have to do this. I dunno what else to say." said Gideon.

"Fine." Vicky said, shaking her head, and walked away, despite Gideon's protests.

"Here we go." said Nick, standing up from where he was sitting.

"You." Vicky pointed to Nick. "If anything, anything at all, happens to him, it's on you."

Nick nodded in understanding, as Vicky walked away.

"Humph. Women, right?" Danny smirked, walking out to Nick and Judy.

Judy's response was a scowl, and a stomp on Danny's tail, who yelped.

"She's thankful, y'know?" said Gideon.

"Yeah, I know." said Nick.

"I'll take Judy and Clem to the Fireflies. You won't have to worry." said Gideon.

"It's best this way." said Nick.

"Yeah, maybe some real good will come of it." said Gideon.

"What?" asked Judy. "Nick, I thought you'd still be coming with us."

Nick sighed. Nick knew he was gonna have to break this to the girls, sooner or later. Something, even he must admit to himself, he was not looking forward to.

"Judy, you, me, and Clem need to talk." said Nick.

"Yeah, clearly." Judy said, crossing her arms.

"Wait, say that again? I didn't hear ya." Nick and Judy turned to see Gideon, speaking into his radio.

"Nick, Clementine just took one of our ostriches, and ran off." said Gideon.

"What?!" said Nick. "Damnit, which way?"

"Follow me. Stu said he's gonna get some ostriches for us to follow her." Gideon said, as he, Nick, and Judy ran to the gate.

Nick shook his head, in frustration. He should've seen this coming...

 **Well, guys. That feels like a good stopping point on this chapter. Sorry it took so long. Next one, I'll have uploaded as soon as I can.**

 **So, Vicky, who is based on the scrapped vixen character from the movie, and featured in my last fanfic crossover, 'Zootopia: Into the Wild', returns as the role for Maria. Plus, Stu and Bonnie make a special appearance, as members of a leading council for Bunnyburrow, along with Gideon and Vicky.**

 **Also, let me know what you guys think about that discussion I added between Nick and Gideon. I like to think that should've been featured in the game, between Joel and Tommy, talking about Sarah, in a similar discussion, too.**

 **I own nothing, except a few OC's, minus Daniel. All rights go to original owners. No copyright intended. Thanks. Stay tuned for more of this fanfic crossover. Hope you enjoy it, so far.**


	10. Chapter 9: Confrontations

**Hey, guys. I'm back with another chapter. Nothing to jot down on this note, except please enjoy. This one's based on one of the best scene's of the game.**

"I just saw her riding on outta here." said Stu, as he came with three ostriches.

"Alright, let's go find her!" said Gideon, getting on one of the ostriches.

"I'm coming, too! Judy, you can ride with me." Stu said, as he and his daughter got on another ostrich.

"Hold up! I'm coming with, in case of more bandits." Danny said, riding on an ostrich of his own.

"Bonnie, you get Vicky and the Ottertons back to town, once the mess inside is sorted out! We'll meet you there, once we've found Clem!" Stu called to his wife. "Alright, now we can go."

Nick, Gideon, Danny, Stu, and Judy rode down the road.

"Look! There's ostrich tracks. We're on the right path." Gideon pointed to the fresh made tracks left in the mud, which created prints as the road turned to pavement.

"Stubborn kid." muttered Nick.

"Does she usually pull stunts like this?" asked Stu.

"No, this is a first. Not sure what's going on." said Nick.

"Yeah, of course not. Dumb fox." Judy whispered to herself.

Call it a girl's intuition, but Judy got it. She thought it'd be pretty obvious Nick wouldn't.

"Whoa, wait. Path's blocked." Stu called, as the ostriches stopped short of debris, blocking the main road. "I don't think she went this way."

"Wait, look. More tracks, back there." Gideon said.

To the right, there were more tracks, leading to a side dirt trail, off the main road, and down into the forest.

"Clem, what're you thinking?" Nick muttered to himself, as they continued down the road.

The group marched down the road, which sloped down a hillside, and towards a small plateau, made of small cliffs. Suddenly, a molotov was thrown in their path, startling the big birds.

"Whoa, whoa! Bandits! Everyone, take cover!" Stu shouted, as the group quickly took cover behind fallen tree logs, and abandoned cars.

"Stu, you and Jude cover us! Gideon, you, me, and Danny move up, get the jump on them!" said Nick.

"Right behind ya!" said Gideon.

The rabbits concentrated on the bandits on the left cliffs, while the foxes snuck up on the bandits on the right cliffs. Nick open fired on one deer bandit with a molotov, making him drop it, and burning the bandit to a crisp.

One weasel bandit on the left cliff aimed at Nick, only to be taken out by Stu. Nick nodded thanks to Stu, while continuing up a small house-like shed. Nick snuck behind another weasel bandit inside the shed, and took him out with his shiv.

Nick ducked, as another deer bandit open fired from the left cliffside, only for Gideon to take them down, with his rifle. Two more raccoon bandits open fired where Judy and Stu were hiding, in the space between the cliffs. Danny and Nick jumped down, ambushed them, and took them out with their shiv and bat.

"Alright, the coast is clear!" Nick called. "Bring the ostriches!"

"Not bad there, son." said Stu, as the group got back on the ostriches, and continued riding down the path.

"Not a bad shot yourself, ol' timer." said Nick. "Just gotta hope those bandits didn't get Clem, though."

"Look, more ostrich tracks down the road. I don't think they got her." said Gideon, pointing down the road.

Continuing down the path, the group made it out of the forest, and towards a large ranch. The ranch had a farm gate, a fence surrounding the property, a barn, and a two story farmhouse. Above the gate, a sign hung that read, 'Hopps Family Farm'.

"Oh, great." said Judy.

"Look, by the house. There's our ostrich. She's gotta be there." Gideon pointed to the ostrich, their reigns tied to a balcony railing.

The group stopped by the front of their house, and got off their ostriches. Nick was the first to walk in through the door.

"Of all the places Clem had to run away to." muttered Judy.

"I know being here is bringing back memories, bad ones, but we won't stay long." reassured Stu.

"So, this is your old homestead." said Danny. "Pretty fancy for farmers."

"Dan, for once, hold off the snark remarks." Judy glared.

"Okay, okay. Sorry. Geez." Danny rolled his eyes.

"Clem! Clementine!" Nick called.

"I'm up here!" Clem called, from the second floor.

"C'mon, Jude. We'll go get her." said Nick.

"We'll keep a lookout, down here." said Stu. "Besides, reckon you three need to have a chat."

Judy and Nick headed up the stairs, looking into the many rooms, until they found Clem in Judy's old room.

"Is this all you had to worry about, when you were a teen, Jude?" Clem asked, reading Judy's old diary. "Boys, movies, deciding which low-cut shirt goes with which bra? Also, you had being a cop on the brains, in almost every page. Bizarre. Sorry, but I got bored."

Judy couldn't help but blush. "It was stupid kid and teen stuff." she said.

"Get up, we're leaving. Let's go." said Nick.

"And, if I say no?" Clem retorted.

"Do you even realize what your life means? Huh?" Nick asked, sternly. "Running off like that?! Putting yourself at risk?! It's pretty stupid, if you ask me."

"Well, I guess we're all disappointed with each other, then." said Clem.

"What do you want from me?" asked Nick.

"Admit that you wanted to get rid of us, especially me and Judy, the entire time!" said Clem.

"That's not true!" said Nick.

"Really? Then, what're you so afraid of?!" asked Clem. "That we're gonna end up like Leo, Manchas, and Honey? I can't get infected. Me and Judy know how to look after ourselves."

"How many close calls have we had?!" asked Nick.

"A lot. But, we've come out okay so far, haven't we?" asked Clem.

"Which is why you and Carrots will be doing a whole lot better with Gideon!" said Nick.

"This is about them, isn't it?" said Clem.

"What?" said Nick.

"Vicky told us about Cassie and Abby." said Clem. "And that-"

"Clementine!" Nick shouted, sternly. "You are treading on some real thin ice, right now."

"Look, I'm so sorry about your family, Nick." said Clem. "But, you're not the only one who's lost mammals you care about, too."

"Your just a kid. Carrots is a Firefly." Nick stated, sternly. "You two have no idea, what loss really is!"

"And just what do you know about us, Nick?!" said Judy, glaring at Nick.

"I know that you chose to just up and leave your family, for some stupid, hopeless cause, at the time." said Nick.

"I didn't leave them! I joined the Fireflies, for the sake of my family." said Judy.

"Nick, before this all started, I had over 275 brothers and sisters. It was a big family, but I loved all of them, each and every last one of them. They all had families, too. You wanna know what happened? I lost each and every one of my siblings! Even their families, just gone! They were either killed, or turned into Savages! I'm the last one left! Yeah, dad and mom were against it, when Dawn approached me to join the Fireflies, and you know what I did? I told them off. I called them two of the most selfish, bitter prunes for their stereotypical ways against predators, and how they never had faith in me, when I wanted to become a police officer. I even went far to blame them for what happened to all my brothers and sisters. It's like Honey said, we're shitty mammals."

"Were you ever married, Carrots?! Are you a mother, yourself?! No! Mammals like you wouldn't leave that behind." barked Nick. "So, how could you even grasp what I lost?! You'll never understand that, you dumb rabbit!"

"Nick, back in Boston, when I was bitten, I wasn't alone." Clem said, her voice shaky. "My best friend was there. Her name was Angel, and she got bit, too. Even back when the pandemic hit, my mom, she sacrificed herself to save me from a Savage. Don't you get it, yet?! Everyone that I loved and ever cared about, they're either dead, or left me! Everyone, except for Judy, the Ottertons, even Danny, and-"

Clem pushed Nick. "Even fucking YOU! So, don't tell anyone else that they don't know what loss is, and don't tell me I'd be safer with someone else, because the truth is, without you or Judy, then I'd just be more scared!"

Nick had a hardened, but sad look on his face. "Your right. But, you two are not my wife and daughter, and I sure ain't your husband and father."

Judy and Clem's faces looked crushed.

"This is just a job, to me. Well, now my part is done. It doesn't work that way, anymore. The world doesn't work that way, anymore. So, you're both just gonna get used to it. So, we are going are separate ways." Nick said, glaring, and making every word he said a reality.

The door burst open, as Stu, Gideon, and Danny came in, holding their guns towards the hallway.

"Get it together, guys. We ain't alone." said Gideon.

Nick looked out the window, and saw a couple of antelope bandits sneak inside.

"I saw two just walk in." said Nick.

"There's more inside, already." said Stu.

Judy and Clem stood close to Stu, their spirits crushed.

Nick was the first to move up, taking cover behind the railing as the two antelope bandits moved up the stairs, going into one of the nearby rooms to their left. Nick snuck in, and grabbed one of the antelope, holding him at gunpoint, as the antelope had his rifle fixed at him. Nick shot down the other antelope, then proceeded to blow the other's brains out.

Down on the first floor, one of the bandits lit a smoke bomb, for cover. Nick and Gideon took behind cover, waiting for the bandits to come to them. One arctic fox bandit came slowly up the stairs, but Nick grabbed him. Nick guided the bandit back down to the first floor, and as the smoke cleared, he open fired on the remaining two bear bandits, landing two, clean head shots. Nick finished off the arctic fox next, ending the threat.

"Alright, it's clear." said Nick.

"Let's get back to the birds." said Gideon.

Nick took out his shotgun, and stepped outside, scanning the area.

"Outside's all clear." Nick called.

The group stepped outside, and got back onto their ostriches.

"Need a hand up, Jude?" Stu asked, extending his arm.

"I'm good, dad." Judy said, quietly.

"You okay?" Stu asked.

"I said, I'm okay." Judy insisted.

The group rode out of the ranch, and back out into the woods. It was a long, quiet ride back. Luckily, there were no more bandits to fight, nor any Savages. However, a quiet, and sad awkwardness hung in the twilight air.

Nick looked to where Clem was riding on her ostrich. Then, he saw where Judy was riding with her father. Nick sighed, feeling sad and guilty himself for having to do this to them, no matter how many times he told himself in his head that it was for the best.

The group finally made it back to Bunnyburrow, and through the walled gates that led into the town. There, Vicky, the Ottertons, and Bonnie were waiting to greet them. Judy was surprised to see at least eight little bunny toddlers beside Bonnie.

"Are those...?" Judy gasped.

"Yep. Turns out your ma was expecting more, when this virus hit. We didn't realize it, until later, after... you left." said Stu.

Judy hopped down, and ran to greet her new, little siblings.

"Well, I'll be..." Nick whispered.

"Lovely set-up, eh, Nick?" said Gideon, mentioning around the town, all lit up with lights. "You kids are gonna be able to watch movies, tonight."

Oscar, Alan, and the young Hopps kids beamed with excitement.

"So, Gideon. Where is this lab of theirs?" asked Nick.

"It's all the way out in the University of Eastern Colorado." said Gideon.

"Go Big Horns." Nick muttered. "Which building is the lab?"

"It's in the science building. It has a big dome-like roof, looks like a mirror. Hard to miss." said Gideon.

"Clem, get off your ostrich, and give it to Gideon. You can ride with me or Judy." said Nick.

Judy and Clem looked back to Nick, in utter surprise.

"If it's okay with you guys, Gideon, me, Judy, and Danny are gonna hang onto these fellas." said Nick. "That is, if you still wanna come with us, Dan."

"Hey, I got nowhere else to go. You guys are okay, I guess." Danny shrugged.

Nick looked to see Clem and Judy still staring at him. "Well, go on. Don't make me repeat myself. Hop to it. We gotta move."

"What're you doing?" Gideon asked, confusingly.

"Your wife kinda scares me, a little." Nick smirked, jokingly. "I don't want her coming after me."

"Sorry for stealing your ostrich." Clem said, sincerely.

She handed the reins to Gideon, then sat behind Nick on his ostrich. Judy climbed back onto her dad's ostrich.

"Wait, guys. Come back to our house with us. We can discuss more, at least." said Gideon.

"Ah, you know me. My mind's all made up." said Nick. "University of Eastern Colorado. Science building, with a mirror-like dome roof. Shouldn't be too hard to miss. As for you, bro. You take good care of that wife of yours. She's a keeper, and I think you two'd make great parents, someday."

Nick turned to Stu. "Your daughter will be safe with us, Mr. Hopps. Promise." he said.

"Please, just call me Stu, son." Stu smiled, genuinely.

"There's a place for you, here. Y'know?" said Gideon.

"There's a place for all of you, here." Vicky said, genuinely.

Nick nodded. "Who knows? We'll give it some thought, on the way up there." he said.

Judy nodded, agreeing. "You guys good?" she asked to the group.

Everyone nodded.

"Oh, hold on a sec." Clem got down, and hugged Oscar and Alan. "I'll see you guys real soon. Okay?"

"We'll miss you, Clem." said Oscar, and Clem climbed back up on Nick's ostrich.

"Take care of one another. Y'hear?" said Emmitt.

"Adios, Emmitt. Look after those kids." said Nick, smiling. "Adios, to you too, lil' bro."

With that, Nick, Clem, Danny, and Judy rode out of the gate, and back onto the road. Their families and friends waved back, seeing them off, and hoping for when they returned, as the gate closed for the night.

...

On the road, Nick turned to Judy.

"Hey, listen. Carrots, Clem, just so we're clear about back there..." Nick started, but Judy stopped him.

"Say no more, Slick. I know what you're gonna say. There were some parts you were right about, too." Judy gave an accepting and understanding smile.

"Those things are not any easy to admit. Wasn't for me." said Clem, hugging Nick's waist.

"Thank you, kindly." Nick smiled back.

"Ugh!" Danny groaned, and rolled his eyes for the dozenth time. "The sooner we get to Colorado, the sooner I won't have to listen to this mushy crap."

Nick just smirked, while Judy and Clem chuckled, slightly.

"I can still hear you, y'know!" Danny called.

It looked like it was gonna be another long hike...

 **Well, guys. That's it for this chapter. Next one might be more lengthier, or not. It'll depend. Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but I hope the little action and emotion in this makes up for it.**

 **Also, the name, Angel, she's gonna be an OC filling in for the role of Riley in this crossover. There will be a chapter or two based on the DLC chapter game, The Last of Us: Left Behind.**

 **I own nothing, except a few OC's, minus Daniel. All rights go to original owners. No copyright intended. Thanks. Stay tuned for more of this crossover fanfic. Hope you enjoyed it, so far.**


	11. Chapter 10: Go Big Horns

**Hey, guys. I'm back with another chapter to this crossover. This one's gonna be a little lengthier. Please, enjoy.**

"So, let me see if I got this straight. You mess up the throw for the fourth time, and you give the ball to the other team?" asked Clem.

"Right. That's called turnover." said Nick.

"Then, when you clear the ten yards, that's called first down?" asked Clem.

"Yep." said Nick.

"That's... a little confusing, as to how it actually works." said Clem.

"You just gotta play it a couple times. It'll all make sense." Judy grinned.

"Hey, guys. We're here." Danny pointed out to the group.

The group rode into view of the university, a huge building with many windows on the second floor, and on the hallway bridge connecting two separate building wings. A large parking lot stretched out from the stairs, to the gate that had signs and posters of school events still hanging from it's walls. Along the right of the wall, in big letters, were the initials, U.E.C.

By this time, Nick had changed into some warmer clothing. A dark brown coat, and a blue plaid shirt underneath.

"I'm not seeing any roofs that look like a mirror." Clem said, as the team of four rode into the lot.

"We'll head for central grounds. We should be able to see more of the campus from there." said Judy, as they rode their ostriches up the stairs.

"So, these schools. They're schools for adults to come and study?" asked Clem.

"Study. Party. Find themselves. Find out what they want to do with their lives." said Nick.

"What they do with their lives..." said Clem, in thought.

"Hey, we should check out that garage." Judy pointed to an open doorway, leading to a stock room.

"Me and Danny will check it out. You girls stay with Callus, Wart, and Scab." Nick said, as he and Danny got off their ostriches, Callus and Scab.

"What the crappy kind of names are Callus, Wart, and Scab for ostriches." Danny asked, with a look that read, 'Is that the best you could come up with?'.

"It ain't our faults Nick forgot to ask Gideon their names." said Clem.

"Callus, Wart, and Scab." Nick muttered. "I hate those names."

"Why not call 'em names like, Bunion, or Pimple, or Zit?" Danny said, rolling his eyes in his usual sarcastic mood.

"You wanna make me barf?" Nick said.

"Hey, that could be another name to give one of 'em. Barf." said Danny.

In the garage, Nick found some supplies to craft, while Danny found something just as good.

"Aw, sweet! I'm calling dibs on this baby." Danny grinned, hoisting a hand-made flamethrower. "Give ol' Betsy here a little playmate."

"Lucky." Nick muttered, sarcastically.

"Jealous much?" Danny teased.

"Let's just go check out those stairs." Nick pointed to a flight of stairs.

Heading up the stairs, the two foxes walked up to a hallway, then out a door, leading to a balcony. Near the corner of the balcony, there was a lawn chair. Next to it was a crate, and on top of the crate was a radio, a pair of binoculars, and a notepad, showing a list of dates and notes about events, and numbers of supplies.

"Carrots, Kiddo." Nick called to Judy and Clem, who were in view, below. "Looks like there was a lookout, here."

"Okay. That's a sign we're looking in the right place." Judy called back.

Nick and Danny worked their way down, and rejoined the girls, back on the birds. The group rode down further into the campus grounds. Coming at another blocked gate, they rode into a large hole in the wall, leading to another hallway, but stopped at another gate, but it didn't seem locked. Nick got off of Callus, and opened the gate. Suddenly, the ostriches started to get skittish.

"Whoa, easy, Wart. Easy boy." Judy said, trying to calm her ostrich down. "Nick, something in here is spooking them."

The familiar sound of screeching came from the second floor.

"It's Savages. Sounds like Runners." said Nick. "Clem, you and Judy stay with the ostriches."

"You sure?" asked Clem.

"Yes, I don't want them to run off." said Nick.

"I'm coming, too." said Danny, pulling out his flamethrower. "It'll give me a chance to use this bad boy."

Nick and Danny snuck up the stairs, and hid behind cover, as two beaver Runners were standing, twitching in the hallway. Six more Runners, all wildebeest, were twitching in the room next to where Nick and Danny were hiding. Nick took out a molotov he made, and threw it at the two beaver Runners. The wildebeest Runners screeched, but Danny ambushed the Savages, by opening fire with his flamethrower. The Runners were brought down in a matter of seconds, frying to a crisp.

"Okay, ladies. Coast is clear." Danny called from a window, showing the first floor.

Judy and Clem rode the ostriches to the gate, leading to the rest of the outer grounds. Judy got off of Wart, and pressed the button on the control panel, but the gate didn't open. Judy looked to see a note on the wall, and tore it off to read it.

"Guys, this note says there should be a generator up there, with you guys. See if it still works." Judy called.

Nick looked around, and found the generator to his right. Nick pulled the rope switch a few times, and the generator sparked to life, again.

"Okay, Carrots. Give it another press." called Nick.

Judy pressed the button, and the gate opened. Judy gave a thumbs up to show everything was working, again. Nick and Danny jotted down the stairs, and back on their ostriches, as they rode out into another section of the outer grounds.

"Say, Nick. I was thinking, and if I ever went to a university, like this one, I would've wanted to study to be an astronaut." said Clem.

"Is that a fact?" said Nick.

"Back when I was a kid, I had a friend who wanted to be an astronaut." said Judy.

"What about you, Nick? What did you wanna be, when you got older?" asked Clem.

"Well, back when I was a kid, I always wanted to be... a singer." Nick admitted, sheepishly.

"What?! A singer?!" Danny guffawed. "Oh my gosh, I knew it. You are a Gazelle fan!"

"I am not!" retorted Nick.

"Well, come on, Nick. Sing something." Judy grinned.

"Ah, no." said Nick.

"Come on. We won't laugh." said Clem.

"I will." said Danny.

"I don't think so." said Nick.

"Nick. Please." Clem begged, showing off gleaming puppy-dog eyes, which Nick simply ignored.

"So, you actually been to a university, Nick?" asked Danny. "I tried, but I couldn't."

"Well, I have been to a university, but not as a student." said Nick.

"Why not?" asked Clem.

"Well... me and Cassie got married, straight out of high school. Then, we had Abby when we were pretty young." said Nick.

"You never regretted it?" asked Danny.

"Not to this very day." said Nick.

"How did you and Cassie meet, again?" asked Judy.

"Okay, Carrots." Nick said, matter-of-factly.

"Too much?" Judy asked.

"Too much." said Nick.

"Hey, guys. Look over there."

Clem broke the awkwardness in the air from Nick and Judy's conversation, by pointing to the central grounds, and to an out-of-place sight. Several, small monkeys were gathered around the fountain, in the center of the grounds. However, when the monkeys saw the ostriches approaching, they scattered, and climbed up and over the main gate.

"Now, that was cool." Clem beamed.

"Yeah, a whole mess of monkeys." said Nick. "First time seeing one in a long time?"

"Yep. First time seeing them outta zoo's, too." said Clem.

"Actual test monkeys. I didn't think the Fireflies were that serious." Danny replied, jokingly. "Providing they were testing on them."

"I think we may find out, soon enough. Look." Judy pointed to something graffitied on the wall down the path.

The group rode down a small tunnel to see a Firefly insignia, graffitied on the right wall.

"Okay, this is good. First sign of Fireflies." said Clem.

Riding out of the tunnel, the group turned to the right, to see a building, with a large glass dome-like roof.

"Hey, guys. Think that's it?" asked Danny.

"Sure looks like a giant mirror." said Nick.

"C'mon, the pathway up front is blocked. We'll go down this way." Nick pointed to another small tunnel to his left.

However, the group stopped short, as another gate was blocking their way. Nick got off to see if there was anyway through. The control panel was on the right, and through the bars, he could see the other end of the unplugged cord. The generator was on a wheeled cart, in front view, but a good push away from the cord. Looking back, Nick found a doorway on the right wall.

"Okay, here's what we'll do." said Nick. Carrots, you come with me, and help find a way around this. We gotta get to that generator. Clem, you and Danny-"

"Stay with the ostriches. I know." Clem rolled her eyes. "Why don't you guys stay with the ostriches, this time? Sorry, I'm just antsy."

"We know, kiddo. Be back in a bit." Judy smiled, then followed Nick under a small gap in the doorway, made from tables that blocked the entranceway.

Nick and Judy made their way into the reception desk lobby of the campus, then up a flight of stairs, leading to a hallway, where the student dorms were. From across the hall, there was a big hole in the floor, with the familiar sight of Night Howler spores emerging from the hole. Nick and Judy threw on their gas masks, before checking each of the dorms for supplies, and a way around.

While Nick and Judy found some more crafting supplies and ammo, it was evident that the only way through was down the hole.

"Stay close, Carrots. Flashlight on, at all times." said Nick.

"I'm holding onto your mother freaking paw, Slick." said Judy, as they jumped down the hole.

The duo ended up down onto dorm floor, right into a recreation room. A vending machine, a pool table, and a poker table were in view. However, the sound of Savages. Howlers, more precise. Nick and Judy crawled through, avoiding any Howlers that limbed in and out of the dorm rooms. Any Howlers that were in their way, Nick and Judy took them down with their shivs, quietly.

The duo were nearing down the end of the hall, the exit was just on the left hall, but there was a rhino Bloomer, standing towards the right. Nick and Judy crept silently past the Bloomer, and made for the double doors, but found they were jammed. Through the windows, they saw a vending machine, leaning slightly against the door. Luckily, most of it was holding back the left door, and just barely the right door.

Nick pushed his weight against the right, but every noise he made attracted the Bloomer.

"Nick, hurry!" Judy whispered, urgently.

"Damnit!" Nick hissed, quietly.

With one last, tremendous push, Nick got the door open. Nick and Judy scrambled inside, and blocked the door again, behind them. The Bloomer banged it's head against the window, until it retreated.

Nick and Judy sighed in relief, then moved up the stairs, past the door, and back into the hallway. The duo were on the opposite side of the hole, and they made their way out into the fresh air once more, taking off their gas masks.

"Hey, guys! Are you okay? What happened?" Clem called, from the gate.

"Ran into more Savages. We're fine." Nick called back.

"Okay, the generator's right there. Come open the gate." said Clem.

Nick pushed the cart, containing the generator, over to the wall with the plug, plugged in the generator, then fired her up, bringing the power back to the controls.

"Alright, give'er a push." said Nick.

Clem pressed the button, and the gate opened. Nick and Judy got back on their ostriches, and rode further into the campus grounds, once more.

"Why would they have Savages so close to their camp, and their lab?" said Judy.

"Well, Finnick used them as a line of defense. Maybe, there doing the same thing." said Nick.

"Yeah. I guess I can see that." said Judy.

"Hey, guys. We're here." Danny pointed to the science building.

"Yep. Though, I think we might have to find another way in." said Nick, as he observed the sharp fenceposts and towers, surrounding the entrance.

"I don't get it. I thought we'd see them here, by now." said Judy.

"Maybe there all inside." said Nick.

"Hey, guys. Think that leads in?" Clem pointed to a hole in the left side of the building.

The group rode to the left side of the lab, which led to a slope in the road, down to a parking garage, only to find the gates were locked via chain. Nick got off of Callus, and found a large dumpster they could use to get over the gate. However, as Nick pushed the dumpster, the slope and the combined weight of the dumpster had pulled it away from Nick's grip, and it slammed into the gate, breaking it open.

"Welp, that works." said Danny.

"Not exactly my plan, but I'll take it." Nick admitted.

Nick pushed the dumpster against the side of a large truck, to get to the hole in the wall. Up the dumpster, then the roof of the truck, then to the roof of the garage, where several solar panels laid across the roof, then finally, then towards the hole, leading inside the science building. Nick and Danny went in first, then pulled up Judy and Clem next.

"Alright, we're inside. Let's look around." said Nick.

"Hey, Judy. Do you think it'll hurt?" Clem asked, as the group searched the rooms, and the hallway.

"What'll hurt?" asked Judy.

"Getting the cure out of me." said Clem.

"Oh. Well, Dawn didn't go over with me on how they're gonna extract it. I think they'll just take out some blood, with a needle." said Judy. "I'm sure it'll be over, before you know it."

"I had to get vaccinated, back in Boston. At school. It sucked." said Clem.

"Hey, you and me both, kiddo." Judy grinned, in agreement.

"No offense, Carrots, but it seems to me like Dawn kinda leaves a lot out with you, and you're the second-in-command." said Nick.

"I know it seems odd. I've noticed it, too. But, I've trusted Dawn, this far. I'm sure she has her reasons for not telling me everything, just yet." said Judy.

"Hey, guys! There's more of the building, down this way." Danny called, from down the hall.

The group walked out to a indoor balcony, overlooking a cafeteria, which had a tree growing in the middle of the floor.

"Yoo-hoo! Fireflies! Cure for all of mammal-kind, over here! Anyone?!" Clem called.

"Let's keep our cool, until we figure out what's going on." said Nick.

The group walked into another room, which had two elevators to their left, a pile of medical boxes in the middle of the floor, and a flight of stairs in front of them.

"I don't get it. There's no one here." said Clem, as she looked through the boxes.

"Yeah, nothing here but a bunch of medical mumbo-jumbo." said Nick, looking at a clipboard.

"Maybe, they all just packed up, and left in a hurry? The military found all, or something?" said Danny.

As if on cue, a clanking noise could be heard from the next floor, up.

"Maybe not all of them." said Judy.

"Stay close." said Nick.

The group carefully continued up the stairs, and worked their way down towards the end of the next hallway. A row of medical curtains, and a couple of work lights were in view, down at the other end of the hall. One of the lights was shining brightly in the group's direction, making them shield their eyes.

Suddenly, the light was knocked over, by some unseen force. The group instinctively drew their weapons.

"It's probably Savages, right?" asked Clem.

"No, Savages don't hide." said Nick.

The group advanced into the room, pointing to whatever had knocked the light was hiding. Nick opened a door to the right, and was greeted by a monkey, searching a trash bin. The monkey screeched in surprise, when Nick and the others walked into the next room, then ran off, followed by another monkey, that ran past the group.

"Well, at least it wasn't Savages." Nick sighed, in relief.

"Yeah, but no Fireflies." Judy said, as she kicked the trash bin, slightly.

"Well, maybe in all that research, they turned themselves into freaking monkeys." said Danny.

"Don't worry. Maybe we can find a clue here, that'll tell us something about what happened here." said Nick.

"Hey, wait a minute, guys. Maybe this can tell us something." Clem said, holding up a tape recorder.

Nick took the recorder, and pressed play.

 _"We just lost two more guards to Savages. Dawn and the rest of the higher-ups are about to have another meeting about the stability of the lab. All of our equipment is here. All our data. All of our personal have settled down here. I'm gonna run another test. Gotta have something to keep my mind from going insane, with nothing to do."_

Nick fast-forwarded the tape recorder.

 _"Right now, we've got four boxes of lab equipment, all packed and ready to go. Now, the better question is, what do we do with you, guys? The board says the tainted batch needs to be put down. You know what I say? Screw that. Who else made a bigger sacrifice than you, right? I mean, if anyone deserves to run free, it's- Hey, settle down! Agh! Shit! Oh, no! It bit me. Oh, my God."_

The tape recorder stopped. Judy covered her mouth with shock.

"Good thing that we didn't mess with them monkeys." said Nick.

"He didn't mention where the others went, though." said Judy.

"I know. Let's keep looking around." said Nick.

The four went into another room, where there was another door to the right, but through the window, they could see a file cabinet was blocking it. Whatever was in that room, could provide a clue to what happened to the Fireflies, or so the group's hunch was. Nick and Danny pushed against the door several times, until they finally got it open, moving the filing cabinet aside.

Inside the room, were the skeletal remains of a rabbit, wearing a Firefly uniform, a pistol in it's hand, and a hole in the side of it's skull. This had to have been the same Firefly on the recorder. Speaking of recorders, there was another one on the desk, near the remains. Nick picked up the recorder, and pressed play.

 _"If you're looking for the Fireflies, they've all left."_

"Yeah, no shit." Danny scoffed. Judy elbowed him on the side.

 _"I got bit. So, I'm_ _toast. Well, I will be, soon. Got me some time to reflect. I joined the Fireflies, just shortly after the outbreak started. Now, I'm not gonna get to see if we made it, or not. This was a group willing to do something, while what remained of the government decided to just hide us all away in ghettos. I wasn't about to just give up on our country. Give up on all of mammal-kind. Heh. That sounds trite. It felt like years, since we've had any positive reading on the tests. The last one was like, what? Two years ago? The whole operation here has been compromised, and the higher-ups have decided to abandon the university. It's as though this whole thing was a giant waste of time! I can't do this anymore. I'm not gonna do this anymore. If you came here, looking for the others, they've all returned to Cliffside Asylum, in Salt Lake City, Utah. You'll find them there, still trying to save the world. Heh, good luck with that."_

The recorder stopped. Nick and Judy just shook their heads.

"You guys know where that is?" asked Clem.

"I know the city, yeah." said Nick.

"Is it far?" Clem asked, again.

"Well, it ain't close." said Judy. "I mean, on riding ostriches-"

Judy stopped, peering at something odd, just out the window.

"Carrots? What is it?" Nick said, following her gaze to whatever was out the window.

From another part of the science wing, there was a flashlight, shining in another window.

"What is that? Fireflies?" asked Danny.

Judy saw the flashlight shined in their direction, and her eyes widened, as instinct took over her mind.

"Guys, get down!" Judy said, pulling Clem down to the floor, with her.

Nick and Danny ducked, as the sound of a bullet broke through the glass, right above where Judy would've been standing.

"Geez! Who the fuck are these guys?" Clem whispered, harshly.

"It don't matter. We know where to go, now. So, let's get the heck out of here." said Nick.

Drawing their weapons, the group made it out of the lab, and back out to the hallway, where they saw a couple of badger scavengers, charging at them, with a two-by-four, and a pipe. Nick was on the first badger in a split second, taking him out with his gun, while Danny took the second badger out with his bat. The group took cover, behind a knocked-over vending machine, as several more scavengers attacked.

Nick and Judy switched roles, taking down a scavenger. The group advanced, until one antelope scavenger ambushed them from one of the nearby classrooms. Clem, however, jumped on the scavenger, and stabbed at him, several times, before he even what hit him.

The four headed back down the stairs, and back to the previous floor with the medical boxes. There were two moose scavengers were looking at the boxes, when they realized too late, as Nick and Danny took them both down, with their shiv and bat. Another moose came rushing into the room, from the hallway, but Judy brought him down with her gun, before he could land a shot.

"Y'all wait here. I'm gonna check up ahead." said Nick, as he went down the hall.

When Nick reached the door, Nick was ambushed by another antelope scavenger. Nick wrestled the scavenger, who had him by the throat. Nick tried to push him off, by the face, but the scavenger punched Nick. The sudden impact of the blow made Nick break the railing. Nick suddenly grabbed the antelope, as they both fell down to the cafeteria floor. The antelope was killed by the impact of the fall, his head smacking against some concrete blocks.

Nick, however, survived the fall, but a rebar pierced through the left of his abdomen. Nick screamed, in pain. Nick winced, trying to stand up, but couldn't.

"Oh, shit!" Nick hissed.

Judy, Danny, and Clem ran out when they heard the commotion, and gasped at the state Nick was in.

"No! Oh, Nick!" Judy gasped.

Clem was the first down a cable line, hanging from the ceiling, left from the scuffle. Judy went down next, then Danny. The three rushed to Nick's side, when the double doors behind them were being forced open by more scavengers.

"W-what do you want us to do?!" said Clem.

"Move." Nick muttered.

"What?!" said Danny.

"Move!" Nick shouted, as two raccoon scavengers came bursting through the doors.

The raccoons charged, but Nick was able to shoot one down with his revolver, whiled Danny got the other one with his bat. As soon as the threat was over, Judy and Clem turned their attention back to Nick, while Danny watched the door for more scavengers.

"What do we do?! Judy?!" Clem asked, in panic.

Judy, however, was just as panicked as Clem was.

"I'm gonna need you to pull..." Nick muttered.

"Okay, Clem! You grab one arm, and I'll grab the other!" said Judy, as she and Clem grabbed both of Nick's paws.

"On three." said Clem. "One, two, three!"

Nick screamed in agony, as Judy and Clem pulled him free from the rebar. Nick struggled to stand on his own two feet, as blood was pouring from his wound.

"Nick, are you okay?!" Judy asked, helping him keep his balance.

"Just get to the damn ostriches." Nick hissed.

"Okay, I got Nick. You guys keep a lookout." said Judy.

"I don't see anything. Let's move!" Danny said, taking the lead.

"Nick, how're we doing?" Judy asked, trying to keep him talking, so he wouldn't lose consciousness.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Nick said.

Truthfully, Nick wasn't fine. Nick's vision was starting to become blurry, blood was bleeding out of the wound from his front and back, and his body felt heavy, like he would collapse at any minute.

The four moved into another classroom, where they hopped through an open window. Danny and Clem went first. Then Judy, while Nick balanced on the window frame. Judy took his paw and arm to help, but Nick collapsed on the floor, again. Danny and Clem rushed to his side, but then, a rhino scavenger burst in, with a shotgun.

"I see you." the rhino snarled.

The four took cover behind a desk, as the rhino fired.

"Judy, you wait here, with Nick. Me and Danny'll flank this ass." said Clem.

"Clem, wait." Judy whispered, but Clem and Danny already moved behind the side of the desk.

"Those were my friends you killed, assholes." the rhino growled. "Come on out. You wanna do this the hard way?"

Clem shot at the rhino's shoulder. The rhino turned to where Clem and Danny were hiding, distracted from where Nick and Judy were hiding. Judy shot at the rhino's shoulder, again. Stunned by the surprise hit, Clem took the chance to finish the rhino off, with a head shot.

"Okay, it's clear. Let's go." said Danny, as he and Clem returned to Nick and Judy's side.

"I'm okay. I'm okay." Nick insisted, as Judy helped him up.

"You're not okay, Nick!" said Judy. "Now, come on!"

The four continued out of the room, and down the hall, towards the main lobby. Nick lost his balance again, and stumbled onto a overtipped vending machine.

"Nick, let us help you." said Judy.

"No!" Nick insisted. "Don't wanna slow us down."

"Well, can you walk?" asked Clem.

"Yes." said Nick.

"Then fucking walk!" said Clem.

The four walked into the lobby. Nick was slowly limping behind the rest of the group, until he lost his balance, once more. Nick collapsed onto the front reception desk.

"Nick! Hang on!" Judy said, rushing to his side.

"Behind you..." Nick muttered.

"What?" said Judy.

"Judy..." Nick muttered, before falling to the floor, half-unconscious.

Through his half-closed eyelids, and his blurry vision, Nick could see Judy, Clem, and Danny fighting the three coyote scavengers. Judy and Clem took out two, but the last one snuck up from Judy's side, and whacked her, with a pipe. Luckily, Danny was on the coyote with his bat, the blade slammed into his back. The coyote fell limply to the ground.

Danny helped Judy up, then they both helped up Nick. Danny had Nick's left arm around him, while Judy had his right around her. Clem took the lead.

"Nick, I swear, when we get you out of this, you're so singing for us." said Judy.

"Heh, yeah. You wish, Carrots." Nick chuckled, weakly.

"I'll get the door." said Clem.

The four made it out of the building, but Nick slipped out of Judy and Danny's grip, and tumbled down the steps. A remaining coyote scavenger had the three ostriches by their reins, and noticed Nick. Clem shot down the coyote before he had a minute to reach for his gun. The three rushed to Nick's side.

"Are you okay?" asked Clem, concern all over her face.

"Just... get the stupid birds." Nick muttered.

Danny grabbed the reins, guided the ostriches to their owners, then helped Clem get Nick on Callus. Judy and Danny got back on Wart and Scab, while Clem sat back behind Nick, on Callus. The four took off, without a moment's hesitation.

...

It wasn't long until they were out of sight from the university, and back on the main road. Clem looked back to make sure they weren't followed.

"I think we're safe." said Clem.

Clem turned to notice Nick had gone quiet, and limb.

"Nick? Nick?!" Clem asked, frantically.

Nick fell off his ostrich, and onto the hard road. Clem, Judy, and Danny immediately got off, and rushed to the unconscious fox.

"Oh, shit! Nick!" Clem shouted, trying to help Nick to his feet. "Come on. Get up, get up, get up."

"No. Nick, don't do this! Hang in there! You gotta stay strong! Please, I- we can't lose you like this." Judy pleaded, fighting tears in her eyes.

"Hey, you heard the lady, Nicky. You do not get to quit on us, like this! You hear me?!" said Danny.

"Judy, you gotta tell me what we need to do." said Clem.

"I-I..." Judy stuttered.

It had been a long time since Judy was faced with a situation like this, and she had forgotten how to. She knew about some medical aid, but she was no doctor, she knew that much. For once in her life, Judy's mind was filled with panic, that she couldn't think straight, and had no idea what to do.

"Come on, we gotta get him up." Clem said, frantically. "NICK?!"

 **Whew, well guys. That'll do for this chapter. Leaving it on a cliffhanger, just like in the level of the game.**

 **So sorry that this took longer, than normal. I figured I needed a little break, but then it turned into procrastination. Ugh! I hope this chapter makes up for the wait.**

 **Other than that, next chapter or two will be based on the Left Behind DLC chapter, which is set between the Autumn and Winter arcs. Also, the next chapter will introduce my OC, Angel, for filling in the role for Riley. What type of mammal will she be? You'll have to wait for the next chapter. I'll try to upload more as soon as I can.**

 **I own nothing, except a few OC's, minus Daniel. All rights go to original owners. No copyright intended. Thanks, and hope you're enjoying this story, so far. Stay tuned for more of this crossover fanfic.**


	12. Chapter 11: Left Behind: Part One

**Hey, guys. I'm back with the next chapter. So, real quick. This is a reply to the review of Jackie the fox, who asked for permission to post this fanfic on Wattpad. I appreciate you asking for permission, first, but I'm afraid the answer has to be no. Thanks, for asking me first, all the same. So, other than that, please enjoy.**

 _(Summer, several months ago)_

 _Clem was asleep in her room. She wore a grey and red-striped tank top, and blue boxers. She was the only kid who had an entire dorm room to herself in the boarding school. The door to her room creaked open, then closed. Someone, or something had entered, and crept quietly to the edge of her bed. The shadow crept on top of her, hissed, then bit down on the edge of her neck._

 _Clem shot up awake, pushed the figure off her bed, and grabbed her switchblade, from underneath her pillow. Clem pointed to the figure, who was giggling. Clem couldn't believe her eyes at who it was._

 _"Angel?" she asked._

 _Angel was a female snow leopard, around a year older than Clem, seventeen. She had grey fur, dark spots, and sapphire blue eyes. Angel wore a grey v-neck t-shirt, a navy blue denim, short sleeved jacket, jeans, and carried a red backpack on her._

 _"Ow. I landed on my hip." Angel giggled, stood up, and rubbed the sore spot on her back._

 _"What the heck? I thought I was bitten." Clem said, rubbing her neck._

 _"I know. It was pretty awesome." said Angel. "You're not gonna kill me, are ya?" Angel pointed to Clem's knife._

 _"I haven't seen you... in I don't even know how long." Clem said, putting away her knife._

 _"Forty-five days. Well, forty-six. Technically." said Angel, matter-of-factly. "Wanna know what I've been up to?"_

 _"All this time... I thought you were dead." Clem said, still amazed by her best friend's sudden reappearance._

 _"Yeah." Angel said, looking a little guilty. "Here."_

 _Angel took off a necklace around her neck, and gave it to Clem. It was a dog tag, with Angel's full name, and a military number._

 _'Angel Growley'_

 _'000129'_

 _On the back of the pendant was the Firefly symbol._

 _"No way. You're a Firefly." Clem said, amazed again._

 _Angel nodded, smirking, before looking around the room._

 _"Still no roommate?" Angel said, noticing the empty bunkbed above Clem's bed. "I had to sleep under Liz for three years, and you know how bad that skunk girl smelled."_

 _Angel then noticed the last taken photo of Angel and Clem, hanging on a bulletin board. Angel took it to look at it better._

 _"You still have it up." said Angel, then noticed Clem looking out the door. "What're you doing?"_

 _"Making sure I don't get caught with a Firefly in my room." Clem stated, closing the door behind her._

 _"Relax. There're no soldiers on the entire floor." said Angel._

 _"Here. Congrats." Clem said, handing back the pendant._

 _"Hey." Angel said, noticing Clem's changed mood. "Are we cool, now?"_

 _Clem scoffed, disbelievingly. "Are we cool?"_

 _"I disappear, you're mad, AND I owe you an explanation." said Angel. "Let's get outta here, and I'll tell you all about it."_

 _"It's almost morning, and I have military drills. Y'know, how we learn how to kill Fireflies?" said Clem, sarcastically._

 _Angel just threw Clem a pair of jeans. "Put some pants on, and let's go." she stated._

 _"This is so dumb." Clem muttered, putting on her pants, and grabbing her backpack._

 _"C'mon, Clementine." Angel smirked. "When have we ever gotten into any trouble?"_

...

 _(Autumn, Present Day)_

Judy was frantically searching the drawers for something.

"Shit. C'mon, give me something. Fuck!" Judy grunted, in frustration.

"Oh, here we go." Judy sighed, with relief.

Taking a roll of duct tape, she rushed to Nick's side, who was lying on a medical sled. Judy and Clem rolled Nick carefully onto his side. Pulling up his shirt and coat, they could see where the rebar left the wound.

"Oh, my God." Judy whispered, worried for the state of her friend.

Clem draped her old red shirt over the wound, while Judy taped it on, to slow the bleeding.

"Okay, that should buy us time." said Judy, pulling Nick's shirt and coat back down. "I'm gonna find something to stitch up the wound."

"I'm coming with you, Jude." said Clem.

"No, Clem. It'll be faster if I went, alone." said Judy.

"If I come help, it'll be even more faster." stated Clem.

"Fine, but you follow what I say, when I say it." said Judy.

Clem nodded. "Danny, you and the ostriches keep an eye on him."

"We ain't going anywhere." said Danny, who was sitting by the ostriches.

Judy and Clem hurried towards the garage door. Judy opened the door, and she and Clem headed out, before they turned around to face Nick and Danny.

"We'll be back in a flash." said Judy.

"Promise." Clem whispered, before Judy slammed the door.

Judy locked the garage door with a padlock. Clem used her switchblade for the key.

"Alright. We totally got this." said Clem. "Alright, Jude. Now, where do we go?"

"Let's try looking for a pharmacy. We'll start on the second floor." said Judy.

Judy and Clem walked up the escalator, which stopped running a long time ago, and towards the second floor. The group had found shelter in an abandoned shopping mall, which once served as a military compound and medical center. The early snow had started to fall, as it also made it's way inside the mall, through the broken holes in the roof, and the broken doors and windows.

Looking towards the right, Judy and Clem found the pharmacy. They immediately searched the shelves, but found nothing for stitches. Nothing but empty pill bottles, sponges, and magazines. There were some alcohol and cloth they could use to craft disinfectant bandages, but not what Nick's wound needed, for now. That's when Judy found a large first-aid kit on the other side of an office door through the window, but the door was locked.

"I don't think you're switchblade's gonna unlock this lock, Clem." said Judy. "So, how the heck are we gonna get inside?"

"Jude, look. The pharmacist. Maybe, he's got the key." Clem said, handing Judy a note.

The note read, "The _pharmacist went_ _crazy, and tried to attack me. I knocked him out, and locked him in the American Princess store, next door. The combination is 30-35-3."_

"Alright, let's check there." said Judy.

The two exited the pharmacy, and towards the locked door of the American Princess toy store. Judy threw on her gas mask, just in case of spores, while Clem, needn't worry with her immunity to the virus. After getting the right combination, Clem opened the door, and the duo slowly crept inside, switching on their flashlights.

Looking around the spore-infested, Night-Howler covered store, they found the body of the Howler-turned cougar pharmacist. Judy carefully searched his coat pockets, until she found the key. Judy also happened to have found a picture of the cougar and his girlfriend, a lioness. The photo had somehow filled Judy with a sadness in her chest.

The body of the cougar, upon moved and touched, limped a little forward, which startled Judy and Clem. Once collecting their cool again, they started to dart out of the store, but stopped once the sound of a hare Howler came from outside. The duo waited quietly, until the Howler passed, and Clem ambushed the Savage, taking it out with her switchblade.

The duo proceeded back into the pharmacy, safe for Judy to take off her mask, again. Judy unlocked the door, and they rushed to the med-kit. However, upon opening it, they found it was empty.

"What?! No!" Judy grunted, kicking the empty kit away.

"Wait, Judy! Look!"

Clem pointed to another open window, where a military medical helicopter had crashed through the roof long ago, and was hanging above the ground, from the second floor.

"Now that's something you don't see everyday." said Judy.

"But, it could be our best bet, for finding supplies." said Clem.

"Right, let's go." said Judy, as she and Clem hopped through the open window.

"Hang in there, Nick." Clem whispered.

Judy and Clem took a shortcut through a salon on the right. In the salon, they found the remains of a badger soldier right by another open window. Next to the skeletal remains was a small first-aid kit, and a note. The kit just had bandages, but no stitches. Judy still brought it with them, then picked up the note.

"Looks like these guys came from the Denver QZ. At least that explains the helicopter." said Judy, reading the note. "Looks like there were four of them on a rescue mission, but the sole survivor was infected, via spores. In the chaos, they crashed, killing the Savage, and the pilot. One of the soldiers was bit, so they had to put him down, too. I'm guessing this is him."

"Poor guys." said Clem. "I don't always agree with how they run, but they have kept people safe."

"I always thought so, too. Despite being a Firefly, I wanted to be an officer of the law, someday." said Judy. "We live in such a complicated time."

The duo headed out of the salon, and down a flight of stairs, towards the helicopter. The rest of the stairs were blocked by rubble, so they decided to hop the railing. Thankfully, it wasn't that big a drop.

"Here we go." said Clem, as she jumped after Judy...

...

 _"Hurry! This way!"_

 _Clem and Angel jumped into the window of an abandoned building, just before the headlights of a military truck passed by._

 _"Sorry about that. Kinda jumpy, lately." said Angel, as she and Clem caught their breath._

 _"You're pretty fast, there. I'm kinda impressed. Well, follow me." Angel said, as she and Clem headed down a hallway._

 _The two teens began climbing up the top floor of the apartment building, having to cut across one apartment to advance up. Clem found the Firefly symbol painted on the wall._

 _"So, have you found the light, yet?" Clem joked._

 _"Oh, har, har." Angel said, sarcastically._

 _"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend your kind." Clem joked, again. "So, what? You buy into this, now?"_

 _"All I know is that I'm not a soldier." said Angel._

 _"Speaking of the Fireflies, how did you find them?" asked Clem._

 _"Well, you remember that grizzly bear Firefly you bit, then stole his gun?" asked Angel._

 _"Yeah, I remember him." said Clem._

 _"That's Trevor. I saw him going down this alley, so I tailed his tail. I followed him straight to the end of the alley, when these other Fireflies ambushed me. They took me straight to their hideout. Right to Dawn." Angel explained._

 _"Were you scared?" asked Clem._

 _"Terrified." said Angel. "I thought for sure that she was gonna shoot me, but then she said, 'What took you so long?'. She was expecting me."_

 _"So, then she just made you a Firefly?" asked Clem._

 _"Something like that." said Angel. "So, who do you hang out with, these days?"_

 _"I dunno. No one, really." said Clem._

 _"What about Tino, and the rest of the guys?" asked Angel._

 _"Angel, those are your friends." said Clem._

 _"But, you talk to them." said Angel._

 _"Yeah." said Clem._

 _"Attention! We are pleased to report that the quarantine zone has been free of Night Howler infection for thirty days." Clem and Angel could hear the loud speaker announcing outside._

 _"Thirty days, my tail." muttered Angel. "Mammals get infected all the time. They just do a good job of hiding it."_

 _"You've run into more Savages?" asked Clem._

 _"As part of my initiation, they made me shoot this..." Angel trailed off, the unpleasant memory slowly working it's way into her mind. "You know, let's talk about something else."_

 _The duo reached the top floor of the complex, and jumped out of an open window, back onto an open roof._

 _"Oh, snap. Get down." Angel whispered._

 _Angel and Clem hid behind the railing of the roof, as a_ _military truck drove by._

 _"Okay, coast is clear." said Angel._

 _The duo continued across a wooden board, and onto the roof of the mall, which was off-limits, due to Savages. Of course, there hasn't been Savages sighted in that area for a while._

 _"Hey, so maybe I should join the Fireflies." said Clem._

 _"Clem, that was the first thing I asked Dawn, but she wants you safe at that stupid school. I'm not even supposed to come see you." said Angel._

 _"Why does she care?" asked Clem._

 _"She's worried that I'll get you into trouble." said Angel._

 _"Well, I can get into trouble, and out of it, just well on my own." Clem smirked._

 _"You know, Dawn talks about you. She said you remind her of your mother." said Angel._

 _"Really?" said Clem, as she and Angel jumped down into the mall, via the open roof window._

 _"Say, remember when I first brought you here?" Angel asked, as they walked down the powerless escalator._

 _"What're we doing here, Angel?" asked Clem, when they reached the ground floor._

 _"I have a surprise for you." Angel grinned._

 _"What is it?" asked Clem._

 _"You'll just have to wait and see." said Angel._

 _"Okay." said Clem, who turned her attention to some billboards on the walls._

 _"Hey, you still saving up for that vacation?" Clem asked, pointing to a picture of a beach._

 _"Every penny. You?" said Angel._

 _"Every penny." said Clem._

 _"What is it that we voted on doing first?" asked Angel._

 _"Uh, surfing in L.A." said Clem._

 _"Yep. Surfing in L.A." said Angel._

 _"Y'know, I almost got them back." Clem said, pointing to a picture of two water guns._

 _"Our water guns? Bullshit." said Angel. "You telling me Corporal Dickhead just gave them back to you?"_

 _"Of course not. I snuck into his office. I had them in the palm of my paws, Angel." said Clem._

 _"But, your tail got caught." said Angel, matter-of-factly._

 _"But, my tail got caught." Clem admitted._

 _"What'd he do to you?" asked Angel._

 _"Cleaning duty. Scrubbing bathrooms for two weeks." said Clem._

 _"Oh, Clem. I keep telling you to just give up on them." said Angel._

 _"They will be mine, again." said Clem._

 _The duo climbed down to another lower level of the mall, right next to a military tent. The tent belonged to the one wolf soldier Clem and Angel considered a friend, Wolford. Well, used to belong to._

 _"I can't believe Wolford's gone." Angel said, sadly._

 _"You heard?" Clem asked._

 _"What exactly happened?" asked Angel._

 _"They say he just fell off his ostrich. Had a heart attack, or something." said Clem._

 _"Geez. Well, how many mammals do you know that have been killed from natural causes in this world?" asked Angel._

 _"Not a lot." said Clem._

 _"Exactly. What do you think happened to Princess?" Angel asked, pointing to the ostrich saddle, lying on a bench._

 _"I assume after what happened to Wolford, they just took her." said Clem. "Poor bird. She's probably out there scared, and alone."_

 _"Come on. Let's see what Wolford left us." Angel said, heading into the tent._

 _Inside, Angel was checking through a crate, while Clem found a picture of Wolford on his desk. Wolford had grey and white fur, and blue eyes. He was wearing a blue ZPD t-shirt, and blue jeans. In his paw, was a hunting rifle._

 _"What? Is this Wolford?" Clem grinned. "Man, guy used to be handsome."_

 _"Here we go." Angel grinned, holding up a bottle of bourbon._

 _"Want some?" Angel asked Clem._

 _"Nah, I'm good." said Clem._

 _"More for me. Cheers, Wolford." Angel said, taking a sip from the bottle. "Whoo! That's strong."_

 _The duo left the tent, and continued down the hallway, stopping at a caved-in pile of rubble, blocking the way._

 _"Here, we can use this." Angel pointed to a metal bar, which she and Clem used to pull up some of the rubble._

 _"Always feels like we're gonna get crushed, going through here." said Clem, as they placed the bar on a rock, balancing the rubble._

 _"It's okay. I'll go first." said Angel._

 _Just then, the girls backed away as the metal bar broke under the weight of the rubble, blocking the way further._

 _"On second thought, how about we find another way around?" Angel grinned, nervously._

 _"Um, how about over there?" Clem pointed to the halloween decoration store._

 _Clem went to open the doors, only to find they were locked._

 _"Hm. The window's open. So, I'll boost you up, and you unlock it." said Clem, getting into position._

 _"Nice. Good call." Angel said, as Clem boosted her up and over the window._

 _"Well, see anything?" Clem called to her friend, but got no answer. "Angel?"_

 _The door opened, and Clem walked inside, switching on her flashlight. Suddenly, Angel came charging at Clem, startling her, wearing a scary clown mask. Angel laughed at her friend's reaction._

 _"You dick! That's two times today!" Clem shouted, lightly pushing Angel aside._

 _"Sorry, couldn't resist." Angel giggled. "Oh, here. I got the perfect mask for you."_

 _Angel brought Clem to one of the shelves, and handed Clem a werewolf mask._

 _"Really, werewolf?" Clem gave a sarcastic look._

 _"Come on, try it." Angel insisted._

 _Clem finally put on the mask._

 _"Oh, yeah. Now, roar." said Angel._

 _"Roar." Clem sighed, clearly not feeling it._

 _"Clem, really? Freaking roar!" said Angel._

 _Clem decided to play along, and added more oomph to her roar. "RRRROOOOOWWWRR!_

 _"Yeah! There she is!" said Angel. "Now, let's see what else this place has."_

 _The girls looked around, trying on several other different masks. They also looked at various gross-out toys, like a jar of fake eyeballs, or Skele-seer, a magic eight ball, in the shape of a skull._

 _After touring the store, they exited to the back door, and out onto another balcony. Just below them were two cars, one red, and one blue._

 _"Hey, Clem. I got an idea for a game." said Angel, picking up a brick. "See those cars? We throw bricks at the windows. Whoever breaks them all, wins. You're red, and I'm blue. Loser has to answer a question. No sarcasm?"_

 _"What is this? Truth-or-truth?" Clem scoffed. "Alright, fool. You're on. Gotta warn ya, I'm the brick master."_

 _Clem and Angel began chucking bricks at the cars, smashing against the windows. Angel had good aim, but Clem had more speed. Sure enough, Clem had broken all the windows on her car._

 _"Oh, yeah! Brick! Freaking! Master!" Clem shouted, victoriously._

 _"My car had tougher windows." Angel stated._

 _"Whatever, loser. Question time." said Clem._

 _"I'm scared." said Angel._

 _"Okay, so... Before you left, why did you lash out at me?" asked Clem._

 _"I was in a weird space." said Angel. "I just needed some time to figure stuff out, but you wouldn't just leave me alone."_

 _"Well, it's because I cared about you." said Clem._

 _"I know. I know. I do." said Angel. "But, look. That's the past, and we're here, now. So, come on. Let's keep going."_

 _"Sure." Clem said, down._

 _The duo continued down another stairwell, leading to the basement of the mall._

 _"What're we doing here? Place is creeping me out." Clem asked._

 _"It's part of the surprise." said Angel._

 _The duo ended up down a hallway, then continued towards a power room. Angel took her flashlight, and whacked at a padlock, trying to get the power box open. Eventually, Angel got the lock off, and opened the box, motioning for Clem to flip the switch._

 _"So, it turns out the whole city has power, Clem. They just flip the circuit breakers. You just gotta flip it back on." said Angel._

 _Clem flipped the switch, and the roof lights flickered back on to light._

 _"Sweet." said Clem. "Wait, is the whole mall lit up?"_

 _"Let's go find out." Angel said, heading back into the hallway._

 _The duo headed towards the end of the hallway, and to the double doors that led back to the main part of the mall._

 _"Hey, wait." Clem said, stopping Angel._

 _"I just... I just wanna say, I'm glad that you're not dead. I'm glad that we're back together." said Clem. "And also..."_

 _"I didn't mean it." said Angel. "All that stuff I said, before I left. I didn't mean any of it."_

 _"Angel... You're such a sap." Clem teased._

 _"Bitch, you started it." Angel giggled. "You ready to check this out?"_

 _Clem nodded, as they opened the doors, and they were greeted by a cool sight. "Are you kidding me...?"_

...

Clem and Judy looked up, to see the helicopter balancing above the second floor ledge. The duo were on the ground floor, which was once a food court, now it was once used as a medical center, for the military. The only way up to the second floor, was through a flight of stairs, but it was blocked by a locked gate. Judy tried to open it, but to no avail.

"Ah, great. Thank you, military." Judy grunted. "Gotta restore power to this thing."

"Just follow the cables. Right, Jude?" Clem said, pointing to the yellow cable.

The cable led to the power box, and all the way beyond a set of double doors. The girls followed it past the doors, and down the hall, which half of it was overflowed to waist-high water.

"Gah, that is freaking cold." hissed Clem.

Look, through there." Judy pointed to another set of double doors on the left, up a leveled platform.

The duo went through, entering a garage. The garage was also filled with water, but only ankle-deep. On another platform, there was a generator, connected to the same yellow cable. Judy tried to fire up the generator, but it wouldn't start. Judy checked the lid, to find it was empty of gas.

"We're gonna have to find some gas." said Judy, putting a gas can and a small hose into her pack, which were laying idly near the generator.

"Wait, hear that?" Clem whispered, as the sound of Savages came into the room.

"Keep your gun ready, Clem." Judy said, pulling out her gun.

The duo slowly searched the room, when three beaver Stalkers came out, screeching at the duo. Judy and Clem open fired, and quickly brought the Stalkers down. After double checking to see if the garage was clear, Judy handed Clem the gas can, and hose.

"Okay, Clem. I'll keep a lookout for Savages. You find some gas." said Judy.

Clem nodded, and started searching a couple of trucks, and a van for gas. Flipping the lids, she would try to sniff out the scent of gas, but no good. Clem finally found gas in a large truck. Clem sucked in some gas, spat it out, and the gas was easily siphoning out of the fuel tank.

With a full can, Clem and Judy went back to the generator, and filled it up the tank. Judy fired up the generator again, and it sparked to life, again. The lights flickered on, the noise drew out two more beaver Stalkers. Just then, a loose cable fell into the water, zapping the two Stalkers.

"Yikes." said Clem. "Okay, note to selves. Do not fall into electric water."

"Come on. We'll use that ladder to climb up and over the water." said Judy.

The girls past through a gate, which they couldn't open without the power on, and up the ladder. They then began crossing onto a set of metal support beams, which held the roof together.

"Okay, don't fall in. Don't fall in." Clem said to herself.

"It's okay, Clem. Just look at me, and don't look down." said Judy.

The duo balanced on the support beams, but their path was cut short. So, they hopped down onto the hood of the truck, and down onto another platform. Judy and Clem went to two garage doors, with Judy opening the right door. Inside, was a wheeled cart of stacked boxes. Judy pulled the cart over to the the hanging garage door, holding it in place. The duo climbed up another stack of boxes between the two doors, and crossed the right door, which served as a bridge to another ledge, which led to more support beams.

Judy and Clem crossed another set of support beams, then hopped back down onto another platform, right next to the door out of here. They entered the back of a pet store, then took cover, once they saw several Savages had filled the store. Three cougar Runners, and three rabbit Howlers were either standing or limping over the store.

Through careful stealth, Clem and Judy took two of the Runners out first, with their knives. Then, Clem snuck up and took out one of the Howlers, while Judy snuck up, and took out both of the other two Howlers. Clem took out the last Runner, who was standing by the garage door.

"That's that." said Clem.

"You're getting pretty good at this, kiddo." said Judy.

Clem nodded, in thanks. The duo then opened the garage door, and were back at the food court. That's when three more Savages, two beaver Runners, and a hare Howler, ran out into the open.

"I got this, Clem." said Judy, pulling out a molotov.

Judy threw the molotov, and set the three Savages ablaze, until they fell to the ground, sizzling to a crisp.

"That's another close call." said Judy.

"Alright, this door better fucking work." Clem hissed, then pressed the button. The door buzzed open. "Oh, fuck yeah!"

"Alright, helicopter. Let's do this." said Judy, as she and Clem climbed the steps.

The helicopter was to the right, but the only way to reach it was to cross a small walkway, which probably was part of the broken roof, made of several glass windows, and a metal bar.

"Alright, Clem. Let me do this. I'm quicker, and can make that jump-"

Judy stopped when she saw Clem had already began to slowly move across the glass, then up the metal bar.

"Clem, wait!" Judy called.

"I'm okay, Jude. I can do this." said Clem, then jumped into the chopper.

Upon impact, the chopper lurched a little further, but not all the way, thankfully. Clem grabbed onto the leg of a seat, to stop from falling, then climbed back up to regain her balance. That's when she saw the first-aid kit.

"I'm okay, Judy. I found a med kit." Clem called.

Clem grabbed the kit, and searched it's contents. It had a clean syringe, some antibiotics, bandages, a needle and surgery thread, for stitches.

"It's got everything we need to stitch up Nick's wound." Clem called, again.

"Okay, just stay there. I mean it, okay? I'm gonna find another way around to get to you." Judy called.

Clem nodded, then closed the med kit back up, holding it close to her chest. Clem leaned back against a pilot's chair, and she closed her eyes, hoping to rest for a minute.

"I'm not letting you go. I'm not letting you go..." Clem whispered, over and over. Exhaustion came over her, and she felt herself dozing off, slowing slipping into unconsciousness...

 **Well, guys. I think that's a good way to end off this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it.**

 **I own nothing, except a few OC's, minus Danny. All rights go to original owners. No copyright intended.**

 **Thanks. Stay tuned for more of this crossover fanfic.**


	13. Chapter 12: Left Behind: Part Two

**Hey, guys. I'm back with another chapter. Please, enjoy.**

 _"You ready to check this out?"_

 _Clem nodded, as they opened the doors, and were greeted by a cool sight._

 _"Are you kidding me...?" Clem whispered, in wonder._

 _The duo were on the ground floor, next to the cars with the windows they smashed. In front of them, a carousal was lit up, and operable._

 _"Wait, won't the soldiers spot the mall all lit up?" asked Clem._

 _"Nah. The exterior lights don't work." said Angel._

 _"How do you know?" asked Clem._

 _"This Firefly, Valerie, told me." said Angel._

 _Clem and Angel walked up to the carousal, and Clem got on one of the horses, while Angel worked the control panel. The carousal started to move, the horses going up and down._

 _"Oh, this is SO cool!" said Clem. "Come on, Angel! Come sit with me!"_

 _"No, it's okay. Go. You got this." said Angel._

 _One minute or two later, Angel hopped onto the ride, and sat on a horse next to Clem's. However, without someone operating the controls, the carousal started to slow down, then stop._

 _"Oh, no, no, no, no." whined Angel. "Ugh, and I just go on. LIVE! Phooey."_

 _"Well, I loved it, so there." Clem teased._

 _Angel just smirked back. "Oh, I almost forgot. I got you something else."_

 _"What is it?" Clem asked, as Angel pulled out a small book from her backpack._

 _Angel cleared her throat, and read, "What did the triangle say to the circle?"_

 _Clem gasped, with joy. "What is that?"_

 _"You're so pointless." Angel giggled._

 _"Fuck you! You found another book?!" Clem grinned._

 _"What did the cannibal get, when he showed up to the party late?" Angel read, again._

 _Clem gave a thinking look, until Angel gave the punch line._

 _"A cold shoulder."_

 _Both girls guffawed._

 _"Here. This is for you." Angel said, handing the book to Clem._

 _"Y'know, you just might be my favorite person again. Just saying." Clem grinned._

 _"I know my girl. Just saying." Angel grinned back._

 _The duo got off the carousal, and walked around the mall, listening to Clem read more jokes. Most of the jokes were hilarious, some were weak, and some were more, 'Meh'. Once the girls were all joked out, Clem put the book in her pack._

 _"Alright, I'm putting this away, for later. Hey, thanks for getting me this." said Clem._

 _"No prob." said Angel. "Oh, the photo booth's on. Clem, we are so doing this."_

 _The girls ran to the now operating phone booth, and stepped inside. Inside, was a screen, and three buttons below. Above the screen, was the camera lens. Clem pushed the middle button to start the camera shoot. The screen showed the option of three different themes to pick. There was love, friends, and coolness. Clem pushed the middle one for friends, since it made sense, for her and Angel are best friends._

 _For one picture, Angel did bunny ears behind Clem's head. Next one, Clem and Angel pretended to look scary, getting close to the camera. Next one, they made puffer fish faces, blowing up their cheeks. Last one, they made pig noses, holding up their noses, and speaking like pigs. Once the shots were done, the screen showed a row of all four pictures they took._

 _"We look so stupid." said Clem._

 _"Stupidly awesome." grinned Angel._

 _Clem hit the button for 'okay, then the screen turned to ask if the pictures could go on Furbook. Unfortunately, there was no internet connection, ever since the start of the pandemic. So, Clem pressed the right button for no. The screen changed to the print option. Clem pressed the middle button to print, but it said no ink. No ink meant no pictures._

 _Clem pressed the button again, but still no pictures. Clem jabbed at the button several more times, and still nothing. Clem and Angel began whacking at the screen, until the screen went dark, and the power turned off on the photo booth._

 _"Uh-oh." said Angel._

 _"What just happened?" asked Clem._

 _"I think we broke it." Angel grinned, sheepishly._

 _"Yeah, I think we did." Clem grinned back._

 _The girls sighed, then sunk back against the booth wall, relaxed._

 _"So..." both girls said, simultaneously._

 _"Wanna keep exploring?" Angel asked._

 _"Heck yeah." said Clem._

 _The girls stepped out of the booth, and towards the escalator, when the loudspeaker was heard from outside._

 _"Attention. The six A.M. shift starts in ten minutes." the loudspeaker announced._

 _"Ugh, I hate that lady." Clem said, annoyingly. "Why does she have to sound like such a dick?"_

 _"I know. Here's how I'd do it." said Angel._

 _"Attention. The six A.M. shift starts in ten minutes." said Angel, in a more cheeky tone._

 _"Okay, let me try." Clem giggled, then copied the same tone. "All citizens are required to carry their ID card, at all times."_

 _"Report all signs of suspicious activity to local administrator." Angel mocked, again. "Remember..."_

 _"Inaction cost lives." Clem and Angel said, simultaneously. Then, they both giggled._

 _"Now, that sounds better." Angel laughed._

 _With another good chuckle in, the duo headed towards the now operating escalator, and rode it up to the next floor._

 _"Whoa! Look at me!" Clem grinned, as she enjoyed the thrill of riding up the escalator, almost like on an amusement ride._

 _At the top of the second floor, Clem felt her tail wag, at yet another cool sight._

 _"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" Clem beamed, with joy._

 _"Told you so." Angel grinned._

 _The duo were at the entrance to 'Raja's Arcade'. Amongst the arcade was many old-school video games, shooting games, and racing games. There was even a puck board game, and a skill crane game. However, just about all the games were wrecked, except for one game. It was Angel and Clem's favorite, 'The Turning'. It had power, but it was all static._

 _"Oh, man." Clem muttered, her ears slanting back. "Man, I thought for a second, I was gonna play it."_

 _"You still can." said Angel._

 _Angel then guided Clem's paws towards the controls._

 _"Red button is kick. Green is your punch, purple is your block. The stick helps you move." Angel instructed. "Now, close your eyes. Okay?"_

 _"Really?" Clem raised an eyebrow._

 _"Do it." said Angel._

 _Clem closed her eyes, listening to Angel's voice. "Your character is the super-dangerous, yet jaw-dropping gorgeous vixen, Angel Knives."_

 _Clem opened her eyes, again. "Am I supposed to picture all of this?"_

 _"Eyes!" Angel insisted, before continuing. "You stand at the edge of the shadow temple. Your opponent is Blackfang. He's this super ripped grizzly bear dude, with three arms. You both stand on the edge of the fighting arena. Are you ready?"_

 _"Bring it!" Clem said, pumped._

 _With her eyes closed, Clem could imagine she was actually playing the game. Clem could actually see it on the screen, and hear the sound of the game. Angel was next to her, telling her advice on blocks and dodges to attacks, super combos, and rapid attacks. Clem could see her character, Angel Knives, not taking a single hit, while Blackfang's health bar was dwindling. When the opponent's health bar was empty, Clem could hear the game's narrative saying,_

 _"Finish him."_

 _With one, long last combo, Clem sat back as Angel narrated the last part of the battle._

 _"Angel Knives starts clawing at Blackfang's chest, over and over, until blood and guts start flying out of his body. Angel Knives jumps in the air, and roundhouse kicks Blackfang's head clean off, a geyser of blood fills the entire battle arena. That is an ultra kill. Angel Knives throws her fists in the air. You win." said Angel._

 _"Oh, nice. Yeah, I win!" said Clem, opening her eyes._

 _"Not bad for your first game." said Angel. "So?"  
_

 _"It was alright." Clem smirked._

 _"You loved it." Angel grinned, playfully punching Clem in the shoulder._

 _"Yeah, I guess I did." Clem chuckled._

 _"Oh, hey. You hear that?" Angel said, turning towards the sound of classic music, coming from behind the back door. "Come on, let's check it out."_

 _"Angel." Clem called. "I think I should really head back."_

 _"You've got plenty of time." Angel insisted._

 _"Angel, I don't have any more strikes at this place." said Clem. "We can always pick this up, tomorrow."_

 _Angel frowned at the word, 'tomorrow'._

 _"I can't." she admitted._

 _"Okay, we'll just do it some other night, then." said Clem._

 _Angel shook her head._

 _"Okay, Firefly girl. When?" asked Clem._

 _"They asked me to leave." said Angel, meaning the Fireflies._

 _"Leave what?" asked Clem._

 _"Boston." Angel admitted._

 _"I'm supposed to join up with another group, led by the second-in-command, Judy Hopps, in another city. I argued with them to stay here. But, you know how Dawn is. Nothing's easy with her. Everything's a test. They're picking me up, tomorrow."_

 _Clem just stood there, unsure what to do with the processed information her best friend just gave her._

 _"Okay." Clem simply said._

 _"That's it?" asked Angel._

 _"Well, what do you want me to say?" asked Clem._

 _"I dunno. How about some friendly advice?" Angel retorted, to which Clem scoffed. "I'm serious."_

 _"Why'd you even bring me here?" asked Clem._

 _"I wanted to see you." said Angel._

 _"No, why'd you bring me HERE?" Clem repeated._

 _"I don't know." Angel admitted._

 _"You don't know." Clem shook her head. "You want my advice? Go. C'mon, let's just say our goodbyes, now."_

 _"I wanna go check out this music, first." Angel said, then walked out of the back door._

 _"Angel. Angel!" Clem called, to no avail. "Dammit."_

 _Clem took off after the snow leopard, the back door leading to a hallway._

 _"Where did she go? Angel! Angel!" Clem called._

 _Clem rushed down the hallway, past a storage room, and through the double doors, leading to a clothes department of the mall. It also served as a TV, kitchen, and laundry room aisle, along with a radio aisle. One side of the room was mostly clothing, while a small corner displayed wide screen TV's, fridges, washing machines, and small radios, which explained where the music was coming from. There, she found Angel, standing next to a coat style display._

 _"You ever seen anything like this?" asked Angel._

 _"So, what? Are we just done talking about this?" Clem asked._

 _"I dunno. Are we?" Angel retorted._

 _"Hey, you don't get to be ticked off at me. I'm the one who's ticked off at you." said Clem._

 _"For what? Asking you what you think?" retorted Angel._

 _"When have you ever cared about what I think?!" Clem retorted back._

 _"We were good. We were better than good, but then you told me to go piss off, and then you just up and vanish! This whole day... Do you even feel guilty? You want an out? Well, I-I'm giving it to you!"_

 _"I'm supposed to be held up on the other side of town. I get caught as a Firefly, I'm as good as toast. Guilt didn't make me cross a city full of soldiers, Clementine!" said Angel. "And, yeah. I did some crap that I don't know how to take back, but I'm trying. Speaking of which, here."_

 _Angel took off her backpack, unzipped it open, and threw it on the ground. Out came the two water guns, the same that Clem and Angel had taken away._

 _"Those water guns you kept talking about, I nearly got shot for these. Surprise." said Angel._

 _Clem just stood there. Taking a deep breath, Clem thought she was still mad at Angel for leaving, and leaving again. Yet, for her to go do something like this for her, anyone would be lucky to have Angel for a friend, and here she was, being a stubborn fox about it, as usual. Clem reached down, and grabbed the two water guns, handing one to Angel._

 _"Okay, here's how we're gonna do it." said Clem. "First, one of us tries to destroy the other. One quick game. Then, we'll talk more."_

 _Angel smirked, pumping up her water gun. "You're about to get drenched."_

 _"Let's see what you got, Firefly girl." Clem smirked, pumping up her water gun._

 _"Come on! Show me what you got." Angel teased._

 _Clem came squirting at Angel. Angel returned fire. The two teens took cover behind cashier desks, and kept spraying at one another, also trying to block the streams of water with their arms, to avoid getting completely soaked. In the end, Clem had gotten Angel soaked, the most._

 _"Ha! Destroyed you! Told ya!" Clem smirked._

 _"Please, I'm barely that wet." said Angel._

 _"What? You are delusional." said Clem._

 _"Okay, how about this? I go hide, you count. We hunt each other down, and it's over if you get squirted once. Best two out of three." said Angel._

 _"Okay, go hide." said Clem, closing her eyes. "One, two, three, four, five!"_

 _Clem opened her eyes, and pumped her water gun. With her acute hearing, Clem could hear Angel hiding in the clothes section of the store. Crouching, she crawled around to see Angel, hiding behind a display hanger of t-shirts. There was one red t-shirt Clem was eyeballing that looked to be her style, but shook her head to concentrate, only to_ _realize Angel was gone. Clem immediately ducked when Angel fired at her, but Clem landed her hit, before Angel could land a hit on her._

 _"Oops, nice try." said Clem._

 _"Lucky move." said Angel. "Count it down."_

 _"Okay." Clem closed her eyes, again. "One, two, three, four, five."_

 _Clem opened her eyes, and reloaded her water gun. "Time to be annihilated."_

 _Clem used her hearing to try to find Angel, but everything was quiet as a mouse. Clem rushed back to the cashier desk to hide, only to find Angel, ambushing her with a squirt._

 _"Oh, man." whined Clem._

 _"Ha! One-to-one. You know the drill." said Angel._

 _"Okay." Clem closed her eyes, while pumping her water gun. "One, two, five! Ready or not, here I come!"_

 _Clem ran in all directions around the store, trying to find Angel, keeping her senses and water gun, ready. Relying on her sense of smell this time, Clem found Angel, hiding near the TV's. Angel open fired when she saw Clem coming towards her, but Clem ducked in the nick of time. Angel ducked, waiting for Clem to make the wrong move. Clem shot up, and started squirting above Angel, then stopped. Angel shot up, and fired at Clem, but Clem side-stepped from her water blast, and squirted Angel on the side._

 _"Oh, shoot! Oh, shoot! You saw what I did, there. Right?" Clem boasted, in victory._

 _"Okay." Angel rolled her eyes, in annoyance._

 _"Someone should revoke that dog-tag." Clem teased._

 _"Wow, now you're just being mean." Angel teased back. "Nuh-uh. That's it. We're going again."_

 _"Angel, I'd love to do this all day, but..." said Clem._

 _"But, you gotta go back." Angel finished Clem's sentence._

 _"I gotta go back." Clem agreed._

 _"Okay, fine. Can I at least walk you home?" asked Angel._

 _"I guess." said Clem._

 _"Okay, let me just get my backpack." said Angel._

 _The two teens reached Angel's backpack, when Clem spoke up again._

 _"Hey, so... I know I said it like an A-hole, but I totally meant it." said Clem. "You should go. I mean, this is something you wanted for, y'know, forever. So, who am I to stop you?"_

 _"The one mammal who can." said Angel._

 _"No, please don't go. I'll be so miserable without you." Clem teased, to which both girls giggled._

 _"I'll be fine, you'll be fine, and we'll both see each other, again." Clem reassured._

 _"You should keep these. They're not gonna do me any good." Angel said, handing Clem her water gun._

 _Clem unzipped her backpack, and placed both water guns inside._

 _"Hey, do you still lug that walkman around?" Angel asked._

 _"Always." said Clem._

 _"Can I see it?" Angel asked._

 _Clem pulled her tape recorder out of her pack, and handed it to Angel._

 _"What's in it?" asked Angel._

 _"That tape you gave me." said Clem._

 _"You really will be miserable without me." Angel teased._

 _"Shut up." Clem teased back._

 _"Leave your pack there. Follow me. Just one song, then we'll go." said Angel._

 _Angel went to the only radio that was on, the same one playing that classic music, and plugged in the walkman to the main set. Angel pressed play on the walkman, and the song, 'I Got You, Babe', started to play._

 _"Oh, yeah." Angel smirked, climbing up onto a glass case._

 _"What are you doing?" Clem grinned at her friend's wittiness._

 _"Come on, get up here. Get your tail up here." Angel insisted._

 _"This is so stupid." Clem said, but got on the case, anyway._

 _The two teens danced, and rocked out to the music. As Clem danced, she started to slow down, her mind coming to a changing realization. If Angel left, who knows when they'll do stuff like this again. That is, if there was a when, at all. Angel noticed Clem's behavior._

 _"Hey, what's wrong?" Angel asked._

 _"Don't go." Clem said, softly._

 _Angel could see the look of hurt in Clem's eyes. Feeling the dog-tag around her neck, she tore it off, and threw it away. Suddenly overcome with a sense of happiness and relief, Clem kissed Angel, square on the lips._

 _"Sorry." said Clem, blushing._

 _"For what?" Angel grinned._

 _"So, what'll we do, now?" asked Clem._

 _"I dunno. We'll figure it out." said Angel. "But, I don't think Dawn's gonna go for-"_

 _"Wait! You hear that?!" Clem said._

 _From behind the teens, a Savage wolf Runner snarled, drawn to the music, and rushed at the duo._

 _"Angel!" Clem cried, while Angel fired at the Savage, with her real gun..._

...

"Clementine!"

Clem awoke to the sound of Judy's voice. Clem looked to see Judy just outside the helicopter, wondering how long she was out, until she suddenly remembered what was happening.

"Nick!" Clem gasped.

Putting the med-kit in her pack, she jumped off the helicopter from the right, and re-joined Judy.

"Come on. We gotta get back." said Judy.

Judy and Clem hurried down the hall. A sudden noise of scuffling stopped the duo in their tracks, making them take cover behind the side of an indoor mall garden. A Savage wolf Howler fell on top of an arctic fox scavenger, making him drop his quiver of arrows, before it bit off his jugular. Another arctic fox scavenger shot the Howler down, but it was too late to save his fellow scavenger. Clem quickly swiped the arrows from the quiver, which had rolled next to their hiding spot, just as two hare scavengers joined the fox.

"Why are we even doing this? Who gives a crap about some two red fox assholes, a little vixen, and a bunny bitch?!" said one of the hares.

"Look, the sooner we find 'em, the better off we are!" said the arctic fox. "Now, get to searching in that video store."

Judy pointed to the left, where an open window into the video store. Judy and Clem crawled towards the open window, and snuck into the store. The two hare scavengers were in front of where the girls were hiding. With their backs turned, Clem and Judy snuck up, and took them out with their knives. When the arctic fox scavenger walked into the store, looking to check up on his buddies, Clem took him out with an arrow.

"Alright, we gotta get to the boys." said Judy.

"What about the rest of these guys?" asked Clem.

"If they want a fight, we'll give them one." said Judy. "We're just gonna get to Nick, stitch him up, then we're gonna get out of here."

Judy and Clem made their way out of the store, when they saw a trail of blood on the floor. Luckily, the blood was old, and leading to an open air vent on the floor in the wall.

"After you." Clem said to Judy.

Judy took the lead, with Clem right behind her. The blood trail led to a fork in the passageway, the blood continuing to a dead end on the left. From where Clem and Judy could see, it led to the skeletal remains of a ferret soldier, it's left arm missing. Next to him, was a tape recorder. Clem picked it up, and pressed the play button.

 _"Ugh, it's so cold. My name is Ellis, I am the last surviving member of my crew, and I'm gonna be killed from blood loss in an air duct. Something funny about that. I got bit by one of those things. So Regan, our squad leader, had to cut off my arm, and stitched it back up, to stop the infection. After that, I wasn't feeling that great. Regan wasn't looking that great, either. I could see it in her eyes. I know what that she-cat is thinking. I was just talking to her..."_

 _"Why would she reach for her gun? Why else would she reach for her gun? Even though, I wasn't infected. Why else would she keep you alive, all this time, Ellis? Doesn't matter. I shot her. I ran, and I fought those things, and in the process..."_

 _"The sutures on my arm ripped open. I can't stitch it back up. Not with one arm. I can't make the knot._ _Regan. So cold. Think I'll just rest..."_

The recorder stopped.

"Poor bastard." Judy whispered.

"We should get going, Jude." said Clem.

Clem and Judy moved down the air vent, and out into a sports store. The duo was just above a small display roof. Below them were two red panda scavengers, and near the entrance were Savages, two rabbit Howlers, and one hare Runner.

Picking up a brick, Clem threw it down to the center of the floor, luring the Savages towards the scavengers. One scavenger killed the Runner, but both of them were taken out by the Howlers. Judy took out a make-shift molotov, and threw it at the Howlers, burning them to a crisp.

"That's that." said Judy.

Clem and Judy hopped down to the floor. They made it out of the sports department, and into another hallway. In front of them was a gate, where they could see the Juice Bar, where Nick and Danny were hiding. There was no way through the gate, so they climbed up to an open gap, and into another department store.

From their right, they could hear the sound of Savages, lurking in a storage room. Judy and Clem crawled towards the center of the store, but took cover behind a row of display boxes, when a group of several scavengers entered the store.

"How do we even know they're here?" asked a cheetah scavenger.

"There's ostrich tracks coming in, and none going out." said a buffalo scavenger.

"What if they're already dead?" asked the cheetah scavenger.

"Then, I wanna see their fucking bodies.

From their hiding spot, Clem and Judy picked up a bottle, and a brick. They threw it towards the center of the store, the noise luring out the Savages. The scavengers were opening fire on the Savages, but the infected mammals seemed resilient to their attacks.

"That's right. Kill each other, you fucks." whispered Clem.

By the time the fight was over, only two antelope Howlers were the only ones remaining from the fight. Clem and Judy were able to take them both out with their knives.

"That's that." Clem whispered.

The duo climbed up the ledge, through the hole in the ceiling, and were out in a photo-taking department. Going through the garage door, they were right back where they started.

Clem and Judy rushed back to the Juice Bar, but stopped, and took cover behind the balcony railing, as they saw two red panda scavengers were trying to get the door open. To the clothes department store on their right, there were two antelope scavengers, and to their left, there were three raccoon scavengers.

The odds were pretty slim, but Clem and Judy had to act fast. Picking up a brick and a bottle, they threw it down to the ground floor, distracting the red pandas scavengers. Clem and Judy quickly crawled into the store on the right, with Judy taking out the closest antelope with her knife, and Clem took the farthest out with her bow.

The two red panda scavengers came running into the store, and up the stairs to the second floor, where Clem and Judy ambushed them, taking them out with their knives. The three raccoon scavengers came running into the store, but Judy had thrown a make-shift nail bomb, and blew them away to smithereens.

With the coast clear again, they worked their way down to the Juice Bar, but when they reached the garage door, a gunshot zipped past them. Clem and Judy took cover back into the store, as another group of scavengers came emerging from the second floor.

Hiding behind the flight of stairs, Clem and Judy ambushed two cougar scavengers, taking them out with their knives.

"Oh, shit! We got Savages!" Clem and Judy could hear one scavenger call out, in warning.

A small pack of Savages charged in, the scavengers open fired. In the aftermath of the battle, a few of the Savages were brought down, but not before they took out the rest of the scavengers. Only one fox Howler and two weasel Runners were left. Judy brought the Runners down with her rifle, while Clem got the Howler with her bow.

"Alright, I think that's all of them." said Judy.

"If anyone's alive out there, don't even think about surprising us, or you'll end up like your friends! You hear me?! Yeah?!" Clem called out, in warning.

"I think they got it, kiddo." said Judy.

The duo rushed back to the Juice Bar, and unlocked the garage door.

"Danny, it's us!" Judy called.

"You better be alive, Nick." Clem whispered.

Clem and Judy crawled through the doorway, and Clem slammed it shut, behind her...

...

 _Clem and Angel shut the double doors behind them, Angel taking a mannequin arm to bar the doors locked._

 _"Come on, this way!" Angel pointed to a garage door._

 _Clem and Angel struggled to lift the garage door open. Clem crawled through first, while Angel held it open._

 _"Find something to hold it open!" said Angel_

 _Clem grabbed a wheeled cart, and placed it under the door. Angel crawled through, when a weasel Runner almost grabbed her. Angel blew the Savage weasel's brains out. The duo rushed to two more double doors, but it was locked. Angel shot the lock off, and kicked them open. Clem and Angel resumed running for their lives._

 _"Up this way! The scaffolding! That's our way out!" said Angel._

 _"What about our backpacks?" asked Clem._

 _"Fuck the backpacks!" said Angel._

 _The duo kept running down the halls, but stopped as they could hear more Runners coming their way. They turned to their right, running into a garage. They climbed through an open truck, through it's side door, and putting some distance from most of the Runners._

 _Clem ducked under a small space through some wreckage, when a rabbit Runner grabbed her. Clem kicked it several times in the face, before it let go. Clem stabbed it in the face. Angel shot a cougar Runner down in their path, when a wolf Runner ambushed her on her right. Luckily, Clem jumped on the Runner, and stabbed it repeatedly in the head._

 _The duo continued running up a flight of stairs, and down another hall. More Runners could be heard coming their way upfront, so they took another turn to the right. Clem and Angel jumped onto the other end of a construction platform, and towards the scaffolding._

 _The duo climbed up, Angel was the first one on. She reached to take Clem's paw, but the scaffolding started to tip, and Clem fell back onto the ground._

 _"Clementine!" Angel cried._

 _A jaguar Runner toppled on top of Clem, who struggled desperately to hold it back. Two more jaguar Runners rushed in, but Angel shot them down, before shooting the one that pinned down Clem, in the face._

 _Angel helped Clem up, when a tiger Runner toppled onto Angel. Clem rushed up, and slit the Savage tiger's throat._

 _"I think it's clear." Clem panted._

 _Clementine. Clem, your arm." said Angel._

 _Clem looked down on her right arm. A bite mark, clear as crystal, was bleeding blood down her arm._

 _"No. No, no, no, no, no..." Clem panicked, trying to wipe the bite off, but it didn't do no good._

 _Angel raised her left paw, blood oozing out of her own bite mark..._

...

Nick mumbled in his comatose state. Judy lifted up his shirt and coat, carefully, while Clem got the needle and thread ready.

"You sure you wanna do this part, Clem? Because it's okay. I can do it." said Judy.

"Don't worry. I've done this before." said Clem. "I'm kind of an expert-ish."

Clem inhaled deeply, and exhaled, grabbing her right paw, steadying the nervous shaking in her paw.

"Just stay calm." she whispered. "Stay calm..."

...

 _"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Clem shouted, smashing some flower pots with a pipe._

 _Once her frustration burned out, she threw the pipe away, and slumped next to her numbed friend, Angel._

 _"There's more stuff over there, that you can break." Angel muttered._

 _Clem felt the tears already coming to her eyes, welling with fear._

 _"What're we gonna do?" she whimpered._

 _"The way I see it, we got two options." said Angel, holding up her gun._

 _"Option one. We take the easy way out. It's quick and painless."_

 _Angel placed her gun on the floor._

 _"I'm not a fan of option one." she said. "Two, we fight."_

 _"Fight for what? We're gonna turn into one of those things." said Clem._

 _"There are a million ways we could've died before today, and there are a million ways we could die before tomorrow." said Angel._

 _"But, we fight. For every second that we get to spend with each other. Whether it's two minutes, or two days. We don't give that up. I don't want to give that up. My vote, let's just wait it out. Y'know, we could be all poetic, and just lose our minds, together."_

 _"What's option three?" Clem said, her lip quivering._

 _"Sorry." Angel said. "C'mon, let's get outta here."_

...

Judy just finished strapping Nick to the medical sled, while Clem finished fastening the ropes to Callus's saddle. Judy got on Wart, Danny got on Scab, and Clem got on Callus. As they rode out of the mall, and into the snow, Clem looked back at the mall.

For Clem, it was just leaving behind a place of deja vu, where the most painful memories came from being in a mall. The memories of a dear friend, who taught her hope, survival, and most importantly, about life...

 **Well, guys. That's it for this chapter. Next chapter will be the start of the winter arc. I think you'll find whom I've picked to fill in the role for David in this crossover.**

 **Also, the cheetah and buffalo scavengers in this chapter, they are NOT Clawhauser and Bogo, if you have to ask. Also, yes, Angel has the last name as the snow leopard news reporter, Fabienne Growley, because she's her daughter. But, Angel lost her mother at the start of the pandemic, much like Clem.**

 **I own nothing, except a few OC's, minus Danny. All rights go to original owners. No copyright intended. Thanks. Stay tuned for more of this fanfic crossover. Hope you're all enjoying it.**


	14. Chapter 13: The Coldest Winter: Part One

**Hey, guys. I'm back with another chapter. This one marks the start of the winter arc. With that, please enjoy.**

 _(Winter)_

Even though the sky was clear and sunny, a cold wind blew across the forest. A blanket of clear, white snow had covered the forest floor. The wind shook the pine trees, adding more white snow to the blanket on the ground. The wind picked up the snow on the ground, creating small twisters of snow.

A hawk had flown down, perched on a low branch, searching for food. Suddenly, an arrow pierced right through the hawk, as it fell to the ground. Clementine approached the hawk, taking out the arrow, and picked up the bird.

Clementine wore a dark green overcoat, with a red hoodie underneath, and light-dark jeans. Judy was with her, waiting by Callus and Wart. Judy wore a dark blue coat, with a fur lining on the hood, and dark sweatpants.

"This won't last very long." said Clem, tying the hawk to Callus's saddle.

"Clem, behind you." Judy whispered, pointing behind Clem.

Clem turned to see an emu, slowly tromping down a slope. Clem tied Callus's reins to a tree branch.

"They'll just startle it." said Clem, then followed the emu, readying her bow.

Judy tied Wart's reins next to Callus's, then followed after Clem.

Sliding down the slope, Clem and Judy crouched, and crawled slowly to where the emu was. The emu was nearby a small cliff, digging through the snow, looking for some bugs in the ground to eat. Clem readied her arrow, and fired. The arrow landed a perfect shot, right on the emu's back. The emu, startled, bolted further up another hill.

Clem and Judy took after it, following the trail of blood it left from it's wound. The duo stopped near a tree when they found it again, by a rock wall. Clem fired another arrow, landing just beneath the last arrow on the emu's back. The emu bolted down a pathway between two rock walls.

"How is it still alive?" said Clem.

Clem and Judy continued following the blood trail, down the pathway, over a broken fence, then towards a small cliff. Judy and Clem jumped down. There, a wrecked, wooden building stood in front of them.

"Oh, boy." Clem whispered, uneasy.

"It's okay, Clem. This place ain't creepy, at all." Judy reassured.

The duo crossed through the building, and found themselves near an abandoned mill. The emu was on the ground, succumbed to blood loss. As Judy and Clem approached their catch, Judy's ears twitched at the sound of a twig snapping behind them.

"Who's there?!" Judy shouted, pulling out her rifle. "Come out!"

From behind a tree, out stepped a male rabbit, and a male sheep. The rabbit had grey fur, with black stripes, and blue eyes. The rabbit wore a dark blue overcoat, with a light red collared shirt underneath, and dark jeans. A rifle was slung on his back.

The sheep had white fleece, and green eyes. The sheep wore a dark green sweater, a green vest, a grey hat, and blue jeans.

"Hello. W-we just want to talk." said the rabbit, raising his paw in peace.

"Any sudden moves, and we put one right between your eyes! Ditto for buddy boy, over there!" Clem warned, aiming her bow at the rabbit.

"What do you want?" said Judy.

"Um, my name's Jack Savage. This here's my friend, Wooly." said the rabbit. "We're the leaders of a large group. Women. Children. We're all very, very hungry."

"So are we." Judy lied. "Women and children. All very hungry, too."

"Well, uh, maybe we could... trade you, for some of that meat, there." said Jack. "What d'ya need? Weapons? Ammo? Clothes?"

"Medicine! We need medicine!" Clem blurted. "Do you have any antibiotics?"

"We do. Back at our camp." said Jack. "You're welcome to join us-"

"We're not following you anywhere!" Judy said, holding her rifle back up. "Buddy boy over there can go get it, and he comes back with what we need, then the emu's all yours. Anyone else shows up..."

"You or the girl put one right between my eyes." Jack finished Judy's sentence.

"That's right." said Judy.

"Two bottles of the penicillin, and a syringe. Make it fast." Jack ordered the hesitant Wooly. "Go on!"

Wooly left, leaving Jack with the duo.

"I'll take that rifle." said Clem.

"Sure." Jack said, handing the rifle to Clem.

Clem switched from her bow to the rifle, pointing it at Jack.

"He's probably gonna be awhile." said Jack, nervously. "You, uh, mind if we take some shelter from the cold, in the mill?"

"Bring him with us." Clem said, pointing to the emu.

Jack dragged the emu into the mill, leaving a trail of smeared blood on the ground. The three then sat next to a small fire Jack built, for warmth.

"There we go." Jack said, warming his paws. "So, it's just the two of you, out here?"

"We're not that big on company, during hunts." said Clem.

"I see. You two got names?" asked Jack.

"Why you wanna know?" Judy asked, suspiciously.

"Look, I know it's not easy to trust a couple of strangers." said Jack. "But, whoever's hurt, you clearly care about them. I'm sure they're gonna be just fine."

"Hope so." Clem said, looking down with concern.

Suddenly, from outside, came the sound of familiar howling. The three stood back up alert, as a zebra Howler charged into the room. The Howler hissed, sniffing the air. Clem and Judy looked at the emu carcass. It must've followed the blood scent.

The Howler turned to the duo, and charged. Suddenly, the Howler was brought down by Jack, a revolver in his paw.

"You had another gun?" asked Judy.

"Sorry. Can't be too cautious." said Jack. "Okay, I'd really like my rifle back, now."

"No, you have your pistol." said Clem.

"Then, I sure hope you know how to use that thing." said Jack.

"I've had some practice." said Clem.

Jack slammed the door, locking it, then covered the emu carcass with a tarp.

"No matter what, we have to keep them out! Let's just hope they don't find our bird. Cover the windows!" said Jack.

"Help me block these windows, kiddo." Judy said to Clem.

Clem and Judy pushed a large, metal locker to block the windows on the left side. Suddenly, as they finished pushing the locker in place, a weasel Howler grabbed Clem by the shoulders, but Jack shot it in the face.

Soon enough, Savages, Runners and Howlers mostly, started to swarm the boarded windows on the front and right of the building. Clem and Judy covered the right, while Jack too the front.

"Looks like this is a big pack. They must've followed you two." said Jack.

"Maybe, they followed you and your friend." retorted Clem.

"Don't matter. We're stuck in this together." said Jack.

The Savages started clawing through the wood, trying to get in, yet it left them open for attack from the three mammals. The trio took down the Savages before they could get far. However, for every Savage they took down, two or more showed up. In so short amount of seconds, the boards were gone, and some Savages had crawled in.

However, the two rabbits and vixen were faster than the Savages, taking them down before they could lunge at the three. A hare Runner had grabbed Jack, but Judy punched the Savage in the face, while Jack shot it in the face.

The Savages stopped coming, but could still be heard, outside.

"Screw it. We're getting out of this building. Follow me." said Jack, as he kicked a door open.

The three ran down a hallway, and up a staircase. Several Savages' hans partially broke through the walls, trying to grab at the trio, to no success. At the top floor, Jack and Judy pushed another metal locker, while Clem shot at a few Howlers. The Savages' advance was blocked, as the rabbits succeeded in blocking the doorway.

"That should slow 'em down." said Jack, as he opened the double doors.

"You know where you're going?" Clem said, as she and Judy followed him into the interior of the mill.

"Never set foot in this place." Jack admitted.

"Great." Judy muttered.

The trio headed up a flight of metal stairs, onto a metal railing. Jack hopped over a metal pipe, which fell onto the railing. When Clem hopped over next, the combined weight sent part of the railing crashing down, taking Clem with it. Luckily, Clem wasn't badly harmed nor crushed, as standing on the pipe broke her fall. Clem rolled onto the ground floor.

"Kiddo, you okay?!" Judy called.

"Yeah, just a little sore from that landing." said Clem.

"Ah, shit. More Howlers." said Jack. "Get outta there!"

Jack ran further down the path, a ferret Howler following him. Judy turned back, hoping to find another way around. Below, Clem hid behind a wall, as two more ferrets Howlers were in view.

Crouching down, Clem crawled to an opening in the floor, and jumped down, avoiding the Savages. Clem quietly made her way out of the lower level, and up the ladder, back to the main ground floor. Heading down another narrow passageway, a wolf Howler charged around a corner, but it was brought down by Jack, with his gun.

"There you guys are." said Clem, catching up to Jack and Judy.

"Good to see your okay, sweetie." said Judy, putting her paws on Clem's shoulders.

"Come on. There should be another way back up, through here." said Jack, pointing to the left.

The trio head down towards the left, but were met with another dead end. There was another doorway above a ledge, in front of the trio, but no way to reach it.

"Wait, there's a ladder there. We can use that." Jack said.

On another ledge to the left, was indeed a ladder, but it was too high to reach.

"Wait, here's another ledge. Looks like it goes around. Boost me up." Judy said, pointing to another ledge, behind her.

Jack boosted Judy up to the ledge. Judy took out her rifle, and began to circle her way around the railing. Several of the shortcuts were already broken apart, and there was large machinery built around the railing, so Judy had to take the long way around, which was the railing against the wall. There were two or three Howlers on the railing, but Judy took them out, with a single shot each from her rifle.

Judy reached the ladder, and handed it down to Jack, while Clem caught Judy, when she jumped down. The trio hurried up the newly-placed ladder, and down a long hallway, leading to another main part of the mill. However, there was no other exit, other than the non-operating lift. Up on another smaller floor, there were several bodies of mammals, with their supplies scattered around.

"Geez. Looks like someone already fought those things, and lost." said Clem.

"Oh, dear lord. I've been looking for these boys." said Jack, recognizing the bodies.

"What'll we do? There's no other way out of the mill." said Judy.

"Can't help it. Grab their gear, and get ready to fight." said Jack.

"What's the other option?" asked Clem.

"We end up sharing the same fate as my friends, here." said Jack.

Judy, Clem, and Jack collected rifle ammo, handgun ammo, a few molotovs, and a few nail bombs. The sound of the Savages outside was getting louder. Shortly enough, the first Runner, a fox, charged down the hallway the trio just came through.

Judy was the first to shoot, bringing down the Savage. Two more Runners followed behind. Judy threw a nail bomb, blasting them to pieces. A lion Howler came up next, but Clem got it, with her nail bomb.

From up top, several Runners and Howlers were coming through the windows, via railing walkways, outside the top of the building. Jack and Clem took the right side of the second floor, while Judy took the left. The Savages started coming down both sets of stairs, on both opposite ends. Judy and Clem were able to stop them in their tracks with their rifles. However, they soon ran out of ammo, and resolved to using their handguns, and going for head shots.

Suddenly, from up top, came the sound of hard thumping on the roof.

"Maybe, that's just hail?" Judy said, nervously.

A rhino Bloomer came crashing onto the top of the lift.

"It's another one of those huge, freaking guys!" said Clem.

"There's more coming from the windows!" said Jack.

"You guys deal with them! I got the big guy!" said Clem.

Judy took care of the Howlers, while Jack handled the Runners. Clem had to use all of her molotovs to burn the Bloomer to a crisp. However, the Bloomer was badly burned, but it still kept moving, just slow, but still menacingly.

"I need one more!" called Clem.

Judy handed her molotov, and Clem threw it, bringing down the Bloomer, for good. Once the last of the Savages were dealt with, everything was quiet. From the outside, there was no howling, screeching, or moaning. Just the sound of the wind, blowing through the air.

"Hey, girls. I think we got' em all." said Jack.

"We killed ALL of the Savages?" said Clem.

"Don't sound so disappointed." said Jack.

"More like disbelieve." said Judy.

"Let's check the hall window." said Jack.

After collecting some supplies, like more ammo, from the remains of the Savages they fought, the trio moved back into the hall, and looked outside. Not a living Savage could be seen, nor heard anywhere near the mill, or near the woods.

"No Savages." said Judy.

"Yep, no more Savages." said Jack. "Alright, let's head back. Check on that bird of ours."

The trio had worked their way back to the entrance building. The emu was untouched, still under the tarp.

"Well, I gotta say, you two handled yourselves pretty nice, back there." said Jack. "I'd say we make a pretty good team."

"We just got lucky." said Clem.

"Lucky? Oh, no. No such thing as luck." said Jack. "No, you see, I have this belief. It's that everything happens for a reason."

"Really?" Clem said, doubtfully.

"Oh, I do. I can prove it, too." said Jack.

"Now, this winter has been especially cruel. A few weeks back, I, uh, sent a group of mammals out to a nearby town, to look for food. Only a few came back. They said that the others had been... slaughtered, by this crazy group. This crazy group consisted of four mammals. Three foxes, and one rabbit. But, get this. One of those foxes, was a teenage vixen..."

Clem and Judy's faces were lit up with horrifying realization.

"You see? Everything happens for a reason." said Jack.

"Clem, get behind me!" Judy said, as she sat up, and pointed her rifle at Jack.

"Now, don't get upset, love. It's not your fault. You're just looking after your kid, is all." said Jack. "Wooly, lower the gun."

The girls, with Clem raising her own gun, both turned to see Wooly behind them, at gunpoint.

"No way, Jack! I'm not gonna let 'em go!" said Wooly.

"I said, lower the gun." Jack said, dangerously calm.

Wooly obliged.

"Now, give them the medicine." said Jack.

Wooly obliged again, tossing them a small sack. Clem quickly picked it up from the floor.

"The others won't be happy about this." said Wooly.

"Well, that's not really your concern." said Jack.

"Move the fuck outta the way!" Judy ordered Wooly. "Come on, Clem. We're outta here."

"You won't survive for very long, out there." said Jack. "I can protect you."

"No thanks." said Judy, as she and Clem ran outside.

Clem and Judy ran up the hill. Clem took one look back at the mill, to make sure they weren't followed, then continued running. The duo ran through the woods, and made it back to their ostriches.

"Let's get outta here." said Clem, as they climbed onto their ostriches, and took off into the woods.

...

The duo rode as fast as the ostriches can. Eventually, as night began to fall, the duo made it back to the house they took shelter at. The house was part of a resort, called Whitefish Lake. The resort was near a frozen lake, the same lake, that the resort got it's name.

The duo rode their ostriches inside the garage, right next to Scab. Clem closed the garage door, behind them. The duo hurried down into the basement, where Danny was keeping watch of Nick. Danny was wearing a dark green coat, and dark jeans.

"Where were you two?!" said Danny.

"Sorry, things got complicated. I'll explain later. How's Nick?" said Judy.

"Been better." said Danny.

Nick was still unconscious. Nick was laid on a mattress, a blanket thrown over him for warmth.

"Hey, Nick. We're back." said Judy, pulling out the medicine. "We only managed to get a little bit of food. But, we did get medicine."

Judy pulled back the blanket, and slowly pulled up his coat and shirt. Judy bit her lip, when she saw the stitched-up wound on his right. Taking out the syringe, Judy filled it up with the penicillin. Judy then injected Nick with the medicine, near his wound. Nick winced, gasping at the pain.

"Sorry." Judy whispered, cringing at Nick's pain.

Judy pulled his shirt and coat back down, and laid the blanket over him, again.

"You're gonna be okay." Judy said, putting a paw on his forehead. "I'll keep watch over him. You guys get some rest."

"Fine by me." Danny said, pulling his hood up, and dozed off, immediately.

Judy laid down next to Nick, using her backpack for a pillow, and laid a paw over Nick's chest. A single tear escaped her eye. In all the time she'd known Nick, she learned to care for the fox. At first, it started off as just a mere good friendship, but then it grew into something more.

Love. Judy, a rabbit, in love with a fox. She'd never admitted it, out loud. She then pondered if she should tell him, the minute Nick woke up from his coma.

The only mammal, besides Judy, who had a good idea on how Judy felt for Nick, was Clementine. Clem watched from a corner, concern over her face. Reaching into her backpack, she looked around at some of the valuables she kept with her. Some things she could never replace, or the memories that went with them.

Clem pulled out a Firefly dog tag. It was Angel's.

"I miss you..." she whispered.

Clem tried to shake her head clear of the memory of her dear friend, her body hideously transformed into a Savage, just two days after they got bit. The memory of her having to shoot her friend, ending her short misery as one of them...

Clem put the tag back in her pack, and took out a toy robot. Leo's toy robot.

Looking at the toy made her think back to when they last talked. When they talked about if they believed there was an afterlife...

"I was so stupid. I should've said something different to you..." Clem whispered.

Putting the toy back in her bag, and took out her tape player. A lot of good memories, mostly about music, came from this.

"I should try to fix this." said Clem.

Clem put the tape player back, then took out an envelope. In the envelope was a note. One note Clem would always hold close to her heart. The note that held her mother's last words to her daughter.

 _"My darling Clementine,"_

 _"If you're reading this, then these are my last words to you._ _Back then, before I met your father, I wasn't good with kids. Also, I hated babies. But then, when you were born, when I held you, it was the most incredible thing in my life. For the past eleven years, you've been my whole world. Now, that life is about to be cut short. Just know, everything I did, it was all for you. I have a dear friend named Dawn. She will look after you. There's no mammal I'd trust than her, with you. Just try not to give her such a hard time. Try not to be as stubborn as I was. Now that I think about it, it's probably why your father left, when he did. But, most importantly, remember that when things seem hopeless, life is still worth living. Find a purpose for you, something you love and care about, and protect it. I know you're gonna grow up to be the vixen I always hoped you'd be. Make me proud, Clem. Know that I'm always with you, and love you."_

 _"Love, Mom"_

Clem flipped the note to see, held from a paper clip, a picture of her mother, pushing a six-year-old Clem on a swing. Anna was the spinning image of her daughter. Orange fur, but had blue eyes. Clem figured she got the purple eyes from her dad. Anna wore a green dress in the picture, while young Clem wore a small, pink dress.

"I'm trying to make you proud, Ma..." she whispered, wiping a tear from her eye.

She put the note and photo back in the envelope, then back in her pack. Clem pulled out one last item from her pack.

Clem managed to sneak it from when Vicky showed it to her, back in Bunnyburrow. She knew Nick didn't want it at first, but she taught she'd hold onto it, in case he changed his mind.

It was the photo of Nick, with Cassie and Abby, at the soccer game. Clem had never seen Nick smile so warmly, and happy, like he did in this picture. What happened to his family, it really scarred him for life.

It was still hard to imagine that someone as tough and stoic as Nick, was once a devoted, and caring husband and father. A fox who simply loved his family, more than anything.

There was no telling what limits he'd go through to protect them. Much like how he did with her and Judy, as if they were Cassie and Abby...

"I should've given this to you, when I had the chance..." Clem whispered, then put the photo back in her pack.

Clem laid her backpack down, as a pillow, and tried to drift off to sleep. Clem hoped Nick would wake up soon, so she could give him the photo...

...

Clem was awoken from a faint sound, outside. Standing on top of a washing machine, Clem peeked out of the shirt, which acted like a curtain to the window, and saw three mammals, scouting the place.

"Oh, fuck. They tracked us." whispered Clem.

Clem quietly put her backpack on, then turned to Nick, Judy, and Danny, still sleeping.

"I'm gonna draw them away from here. I'll come back for you." Clem whispered, them quietly hurried out of the basement.

Outside, Clem slowly closed the garage door, then got onto Callus. Clem slowly rode down the street, keeping an eye to the two conversing scavengers, onto her right, oblivious to her presence.

"Are we sure they're here?" said a panther scavenger.

"There's ostrich tracks up and down the street. They're here." said a snow leopard scavenger.

Clem was almost through, when suddenly, a boar scavenger grabbed her by the arm.

"Hey! I got the kid!" shouted the boar.

Clem struggled to get out of his grip, then she pulled out her switchblade, and stabbed the boar in the throat. Her escape was executed too late, as the scavengers spotted her.

"Now! Shoot her!" cried the snow leopard.

"But, Jack said-"

"Fuck Jack! Shoot her now!"

Clem whipped Callus's reins, and bolted as a rifle bullet flew right past her. The ostrich ran as fast as his long legs could let him, as several mammal scavengers emerged from the corners of the house, ambushing the vixen. One or two mammals grabbed onto the ostrich's sides, but Clem kicked them off. Some mammals shot at the ostrich, but Clem evaded them.

Clem sped Callus towards the gate, leading out of the reserve, hoping the scavengers would follow, leading them away from the group. Suddenly, Callus screamed in pain, as a bullet struck him the throat. Callus tumbled down a hill, Clem fell off, and rolled onto the snow, down the hill. Clem picked herself up, and looked to see Callus, a pool of blood forming from his body.

"Oh, no. Callus. Shit." whispered Clem.

Clem had little time to mourn for her ostrich, as she took cover behind a boulder. Looking behind her, she saw two weasel scavengers searched for her, from on top of the bluff.

"She fell down the hill, somewhere! I don't see her, though!" said one weasel.

Clem took out her rifle, and ambushed the weasels, taking them down. Clem then ran down the hill, and towards a house. Clem climbed through a window, and took cover inside. She was in the bedroom, and made her way to the living room. Clem quickly took cover underneath a window, as she saw several more scavengers, scouting outside the area for her.

"Are we really supposed to kill her? Jack said he wants her back, alive." said a skunk scavenger.

"Jack doesn't get to make that call. Wooly said that she's part of the same group from both the university, and mall. How many of our guys were killed, there?" said a lion scavenger.

"Oh, shit. I didn't know that was her." said the skunk. "Screw Jack, then. We find this fox, and kill her."

"Let's make it quick. My tail is freezing out here." said the lion. "I'll go check this house."

The lion entered the house Clem was hiding in. Clem hid behind the couch, then ambushed the lion, stabbing him with her switchblade. Clem then crouched below the window again, and shot the skunk with an arrow. There was one more ferret scavenger, searching to the right, but Clem got him with her bow, before he could know what hit him.

Clem then crept outside. Clem was near a set of houses, by a small beach, where tourists could swim in the lake. A lifeguard tower was right by the frozen lake. There was also a snack bar in the center of the area. Far to the right, there was a stairway, leading away from the beach, and towards a lodge.

Clem hurried to the stairway, but ducked behind a restroom building, as three more scavengers came coming down the stairway, searching for her. Clem snuck around to the back, where one wolf scavenger checked the back, only for Clem to ambush him with her knife, taking him out, quietly. Clem snuck around the side, and took out both rabbit scavengers, with her bow.

Clem hurried up the stairs, then slowly crossed the broken bridge way. Clem slid across a support beam, to get to the other end of the bridge. Clem continued down the path, but it was blocked by a gate. Clem looked around to see she could cross through an open sewage pipe, in the wall. There was a crate wedged between the pipe, yet it wasn't heavy enough for Clem to move out of the way. With the way clear, Clem crawled through, and she made it out, right in front view of the lodge.

"Alright, almost there. Hang in there, guys." Clem whispered.

Clem made her way towards the lodge, another gate to the right, blocking her way. Clem had to go around the lodge, but took cover, as three more scavengers appeared. Picking up a nearby bottle, Clem threw it toward the pier, distracting the scavengers.

Clem took out her bow, and brought down another lion scavenger. She moved down to the pier, and took out another skunk scavenger, with her bow. Unfortunately, the cougar scavenger spotted her, and open fired. Taking cover behind a large crate, Clem took out the cougar, with her rifle.

With the coast clear again, Clem hurried towards the back of the ledge, only to find another gate, blocking her. Clem looked to her right to see two open windows in the lodge. One leading to a basement, and one to the ground floor. Clem pushed a dumpster, with some difficulty, towards the upper window. Climbing up the dumpster, she crawled through the window, and landed in the restaurant area of the lodge.

"Okay, don't wanna get trapped in here." said Clem.

Clem made her way out towards a room with a bay window, where two badger scavengers spotted her through the boarded window. Clem ducked behind a couch, as they open fired at the fox. Clem returned fire, bringing down both badgers. Clem turned to see one skunk scavengers hide in the main hall, down the hall.

Clem turned to her left to see a deer scavenger, charging towards her, from a dining hall. Clem jumped over to the other end of the couch, and shot at the deer, bringing him down, the minute he stepped into the room. Clem crept down the dining hall, and spotted the skunk scavenger, peeking out of his hiding spot. Clem ambushed him, bringing him down with her rifle.

The coast clear again, she rushed to the double doors, but they were blocked by a full trash bin. Clem pushed several times against the doors, but finally got them open.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind, putting her in a headlock. Clem had her switchblade, but her captor was strong enough to hold her arm back.

"Relax. I'm trying to keep you alive, here." said the all-too familiar voice of Jack. "There you go."

Clem started falling unconscious, suffocating under the rabbit's strong grip, and she dropped her switchblade...

...

Clem awoke, to find herself behind a metal cage-like cell. Wooly was in the same room as her, chopping up something on a table. When Clem looked closer, she saw Wooly had chopped a deer arm, with a butcher's cleaver. Wooly moved the arm right onto a pile of other arms, belonging to a variety of other mammals.

Clem gasped at the gruesome sight in front of her. Wooly turned to see Clem awake, her face shrouded with wide-eyed fear. Wooly then put the cleaver down, and left the room.

Clem thought these mammals were crazy before. Now, she knew they were crazy AND sick. Cannibals. Predator and Prey, alike. All the more reason to get out of here.

Clem tugged on the gate, but it was sealed tight, via a chain lock. That's when Jack came into the room, with a tray. A plate of meat and spaghetti, and a cup of water laid on the tray.

"How you feeling?" asked Jack.

"Super." Clem said, glaring at the twisted rabbit.

"Here." Jack said, placing the tray on the floor, and sliding it between the gap in the gate. "I know you're hungry. You've been out for quite some time."

"What is it?" Clem asked, eyeing the tray, suspiciously.

"It's emu." said Jack.

"With some other mammal helping, on the side?" asked Clem.

"No. No, I promise. It's just the emu meat." said Jack.

"You're a fucking animal." Clem spat, but bent down, and ate the meat, anyway.

"Last time I checked, we're all animals." said Jack, kneeling down.

"You know what I meant." said Clem, not bothering to look at him.

"Well, that's awfully quick to judgement." said Jack. "Considering you and your friends killed, how many mammals?"

Clem looked up to Jack, this time.

"They didn't give us a choice." she said.

"And you think we have a choice? Is that it?" said Jack. "You kill, to survive. Well, so do we. We gotta take care of our own. By any means necessary."

"So, now what?" Clem asked. "You gonna chop me up into little, tiny, bite-sized pieces?"

"I rather not." Jack chuckled, darkly. "Please, tell me your name."

Clem threw the tray back, in disgust.

"You're so full of shit." she hissed.

"On the contrary." said Jack, putting the tray aside. "I've been, ah, quite honest with you. Now, I think it's your turn. It's the only way I'm gonna convince the others."

"Convince them of what?" asked Clem.

"That you can come around." said Jack, placing his paw through the railing. "You have heart. You're loyal. Also, you're special."

Clem looked touched, as she placed her paw over Jack's. Seeing him fall for it, Clem snapped one of his fingers. Jack yelled in pain, as Clem grabbed his keys. Jack caught her, and pulled Clem's arm, slamming her repeatedly on the gate, until she let go of the keys. Clem pulled her arm free, and fell on the ground, blood dripping from her nose.

"You stupid, little girl!" Jack hissed, picking the keys back up. "You are making it VERY difficult to keep you alive. What am I supposed to tell the others, now?!"

"Clementine." Clem said, wiping her nose.

"What?" said Jack.

"Tell them that Clementine is the name of the little vixen, who broke your FUCKING FINGER!" Clem barked.

"How'd you put it? Hm?" Jack said, a dark look on his face. "Little, tiny, bite-sized pieces?"

"See you in the morning, Clementine..." Jack said, as he left the room.

Clem laid in the middle of the floor, scared. Yet, despite her fears, she knew, deep down, Judy and Danny would know she was missing, by now. She knew, deep down, they were out there, looking for her. She knew, deep down, they would rescue her. She'd just wished Nick would wake up from his coma, and come rescue her, too.

Hoping, and wishing was all she could do, right now...

 **Well, that's it for this chapter. Next up, we'll see Clem face off against Jack. Another best scene in the entire game.**

 **I know from the bat that none of the prey mammals in Zootopia eat meat, but this is a post-pandemic time. Some mammals, like prey mammals, would've developed a taste for meat, or cannibalism. That's what adds to the dark atmosphere of the story.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and who I picked for David.** **I know he was supposed to be the main character, in one of the early plots of the movie, but his name just screams antagonist. Also, since I'm a Wildehopps fan, It's just easier and fun to see him as one. When I say this, I mean no offense to those who like Jack. Also, Wooly, he's another scrapped character from the movie, so I simply replaced him with James.**

 **I own nothing, expect a few OC's, minus Daniel. All rights go to original owners. No copyright intended. Thanks. Stay tuned for more of this fanfic.**


	15. Chapter 14: The Coldest Winter: Part Two

**Hey, guys. I'm back with another chapter. Now, I forgot to mention this in the last chapter, but I replaced the rabbit and deer from the game, with an emu and hawk, because, since all mammals have evolved, minus apes, they seemed like the best replacement, close enough. Also, I forgot to mention this back in chapter 10. Yes, there are primates, just monkeys, apes, marsupials, etc. Yet, they are the only mammal that doesn't evolve. There will be another type of primate featured in the next chapter, replacing the giraffes, but I'll reveal what that is, soon. Other than that, please enjoy.**

 _"Did you find her?!"_

 _"Nothing!"_

 _"I don't get it. Where did she run off to, this time?"_

 _"Oh, cheese and crackers! Maybe those scavengers are out there, tracking her..."_

Nick could hear voices. They sounded familiar. Then, he immediately recognized them as Judy and Danny. Nick's eyes shot open wide, gasping awake.

"Jude, he's awake!" said Danny, hurrying to his side.

"Nick! Oh, thank God! You're okay!" Judy said, running towards him, tears of relief in his eyes.

"Carrots. Dan." Nick groaned, his voice sounded a little weak, from being out for a long time.

Nick tried to stand up, shaking a little bit. Danny and Judy helped him up.

"Where's Clem?" Nick asked. "Clementine?"

"We don't know. She's gone, somewhere." said Judy. "I went out to find her, but I couldn't find her around the neighborhood."

"Come on. We gotta find her." said Nick, shaking as he took his first steps up, after his coma.

Nick bent down, and picked up his backpack, and his weapons.

"Nick, you probably need more rest." said Judy. "Are you in any condition, at all?"

"I'm fine, Carrots. Just gotta shake the sleepiness out of my system. I ain't your normal fox, after all." Nick smirked.

"Hot damn, dude. I missed that trademark smile and attitude of yours." grinned Danny.

"Me too." whispered Judy.

"Come on. Let's find our girl." said Nick.

The trio headed up the stairs, and into the main house. They went into the garage, where Danny opened the door, and they rode Wart and Scab out into the snow. Judy rode behind Nick on Wart.

"Where's Callus?" asked Nick.

"Not sure." said Judy. "Clem must've-"

Without warning, two gunshots ran out, and both Wart and Scab were struck in the throats. Nick, Judy, and Danny tumbled off the ostriches, and quickly took cover behind a car.

"Their birds are down! Finish them!" a voice ordered.

Several cannibals barged out of a fence gate, and open fired. Nick, Judy, and Danny returned fire.

"Where is she?!" Nick shouted.

The trio were able to bring down several cannibals, before the rest retreated. The three pursued them through the gate. When they reached the backyard of a two-story house, the trio took cover behind another fence, as several more cannibals turned, and open fired, once more. Judy climbed up a small tool shed, just barely above the fence line, acting as a sniper. Nick and Danny took the ground level, firing with their pistols.

Several more cannibals were brought down again, while the rest ran for the hills.

"One way or another, you're gonna tell me where she is!" shouted Nick.

The trio ran down an alley between another fence, and the house. Hopping over a line of garbage, three cannibals, a wolf, an antelope, and koala grabbed them from behind. Another cannibal, a wildebeest, advanced on them with a knife.

Nick and Danny both kicked the wildebeest in the crotch, then back head-butted their captors, setting them free. Judy bit down on her captor, then back head-butted the antelope, setting her free. Judy kicked the wildebeest in the face, making him drop the knife.

"You come with us." sneered Nick, grabbing the wolf, the wildebeest, and the knife. "Bring them in the house."

"Let us go, or we'll fuck you guys up!" the koala threatened, as he was dragged by Judy into the house.

"Shut up!" said Danny, as he grabbed the antelope.

In the house, in the empty living room, Judy and Danny tied the wolf and the koala to a radiator. The antelope and the wildebeest were tied back-to-back to two chairs.

"What do you want?" said the wolf. "What the fu-"

"I said, shut up!" Danny said, punching the wolf.

Nick finished punching the koala repeatedly, taking his anger out on him.

"You keep an eye on them, Jude. Dan, you're with me." said Nick, then turned to the wildebeest and antelope.

Judy kept her pistol raised at the cannibals. Nick and Danny sat in front of the wildebeest, the knife in Danny's paw.

"Now, the vixen. Is she alive?" Nick asked.

"What vixen? I don't know any vixen." said the wildebeest.

"Wrong answer." said Danny, as he stabbed the wildebeest in the leg.

"FUCK!" the wildebeest hissed.

"Focus on us. Right here. Or else, I'll pop your damn kneecap off." said Danny.

"Lemme ask you, again. The vixen?" said Nick.

"She's alive. She's Jack's newest pet." the wildebeest said.

"What did you say?!" Judy said, pointing her pistol at the wildebeest. "That sick-"

"Where is she?" asked Nick.

When the wildebeest didn't answer, Danny stabbed the wildebeest's other knee.

"IN THE TOWN! In the town!" the wildebeest shrieked, in pain.

Nick took the knife from Danny, then put the handle in the cannibal's mouth. Then, Nick held up a map.

"Now, you're gonna mark it on the map, and it better be the same, exact spot your buddies points, too. Mark it." said Nick.

The wildebeest used the blood on the knife to mark the map, then spat it out on the floor.

"It's right there. You can verify it. Go ask one of them. Go on." said the wildebeest, as Nick picked up the knife. "They'll tell ya. We ain't lying. We ain't-"

Nick just stabbed the wildebeest and antelope in the neck.

"Sweet cheese and crackers, Nick." Judy said.

"It's fine, Carrots. I believe them. Danny, finish them." said Nick, as he walked out of the house, Judy following him.

"Fuck you, dude! He told you what you wanted!" said the koala. "We ain't telling you shit!"

"If Nick believes them, that's fine with me. Now, say hello to Ol' Betsy." said Danny, bringing out his bat.

"No, wait!" the wolf pleaded, but too late...

...

Clem was jerked awake by Wooly, shaking her.

"Wakey-wakey." said Wooly, pulling her up, from the floor.

"Let go! Don't! Stop!" Clem shouted, trying to pull herself free from Jack and Wooly's grip.

Clem bit on Jack's hand, trying to get free. Jack winced, then slapped Clem. Jack and Wooly slammed Clem onto the table.

"I warned you!" Jack hissed, raising the cleaver.

"I'M INFECTED! I'm infected!" Clem shouted.

"Really?" Jack said, disbelievingly.

"I just bit you. So, that means you, too." said Clem.

Jack shook his head, knowing she was just stalling.

"Right there! Roll up my right sleeve. Look at it!" said Clem.

"I'll play along." Jack scoffed, slamming the cleaver on the table.

Jack rolled up Clem's sleeve, and his eyes widened with surprise when he saw Clem's bite mark, clear as daylight.

"What was that you say?" Clem smirked. "Everything happens for a reason. Right?"

"What the crap is that?!" Wooly gasped.

"She would've turned, by now. It can't be real!" said Jack.

"Looks pretty real to me!" said Wooly.

Jack and Wooly stared at Jack's bitten hand, then Clem's bite mark, back and forth. This was Clem's chance. Clem grabbed the cleaver, and stabbed Wooly in the neck. Wooly fell to the ground, blood pouring from his neck. Clem then rolled off the table, and pushed it over, forcing Jack back against the metal gate. Clem ran into a meat locker, while evading Jack's bullets.

Clem took cover behind a wall, and found her switchblade on a shelf. She grabbed her switchblade, and jumped out an open window.

"Shit. What is wrong with these mammals?!" Clem said, as she ran down an alleyway, trying to keep her vision clear of the blizzard.

"Where you going, Clementine?! This is my town!" Jack yelled from the window.

Clem ducked through the back door of a pet store.

"I need a gun." Clem whispered, to herself.

Clem crawled quietly to the front of the store. She ducked behind the front display counter, as she spied on Jack, walking up to two polar bears, one male and female.

"We heard gunshots. What's going on?" asked the male polar bear.

"The vixen. She's infected. She killed Wooly, and escaped." said Jack.

"What?! This is bad, Jack." said the female polar bear.

"Alright, you come with me, round up everyone with a gun." Jack pointed to the male bear.

"You, make sure everyone stays indoors, and doesn't come out for anything." Jack pointed to the female bear. "We find this girl, and we kill her."

"Okay. I'll take the kids to the shelter." said the female bear, as the three split up.

"Oh, fuck." Clem whispered.

Kids? The kids were cannibals, too? Did they even know what they were eating? Clem shook her head, trying not distract herself. This place was bad, and she needed to get out, fast.

Clem went through a hole in the wall, cutting through another alley, and into an audio store. Clem hid behind a counter wall, as a skunk cannibal searched the building. Clem ambushed him, stabbing him with his knife. Clem then took his revolver, and ammo.

With a gun in hand, Clem exited through the front door, and ran to the other end of the street. Clem headed down another alley, leading to an old post office. Clem hid behind a trash bin, as a badger cannibal appeared on the top balcony.

"They're everywhere." Clem whispered.

Clem crept to hide behind a mail truck, as the badger walked down the stairs. Clem ambushed the badger, stabbing him with her knife. Clem hurried up the stairs, and up to the balcony. The balcony led to another alley, down to another street of the town. Clem hurried down the alley, but stopped as she heard the voices of two zebra cannibals, scanning an arcade building.

Clem couldn't risk them spotting her, so she snuck into the arcade, and hid behind one of the machines. Clem ambushed one antelope, stabbing him with her knife, but the other antelope spotted her. The antelope open fired at her, but Clem was faster, as she ducked, and shot the other antelope.

Clem hurried out of the arcade, past the street, and down another alleyway. Clem stopped to see the rest of the alley blocked by a gate. Clem looked up to see the open window of a restaurant. Clem climbed up the dumpster, then through the window, landing down in the manager's office. Clem walked out into the dining area of the restaurant, looking around to make sure if she's alone. Clem hurried to the front door, leading out of town.

Suddenly, Jack appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Clem by the wrists.

"You're easy to track." Jack sneered.

Clem toppled back against a table, knocking over and breaking a lamp. Jack pushed Clem to the ground, on her side, then grabbed the gun.

"How'd you do it?" Jack asked, at gunpoint, referring to her bite.

Jack turned to see the support beam caught fire, from the broken lamp. Clem took this moment to hide behind a booth, taking out her switchblade.

"It's alright. There's nowhere to go." said Jack, locking the door, behind him. "You want out? You're gonna have to come get these keys."

Clem quietly crawled amongst the booths, trying to stay out of Jack's line of sight. There were broken plates, bricks, and empty bottles lying around the booths. Clem had to evade stepping on the broken plates, less to draw attention to Jack. Picking up a bottle, she stayed on the far right corner booth, and waited for Jack.

Jack tried to taunt Clem out of hiding.

"Clementine! Come on, I know you're just dying to say something to me! No? Nothing? You sure about that?" Jack called.

"Yeah, go fuck yourself." Clem whispered.

"I know you're not infected. No one who's infected fights this hard to stay alive." said Jack. "So, what is it, Clem? I gotta admit, you had me, back there. For a second, you shook my faith. But, only for a second."

"Y'know, I really wish you didn't have to kill Wooly. He was a good mammal, just doing his job. As a matter of fact, all those mammals you and your friends killed, it's just gonna make our group stronger. Fewer mouths to feed, stronger survivors."

Jack was getting close to where Clem was hiding, now. "Oh, and Clem. I'm sorry about your ostrich. You'll be relieved to know that we'll waste no part of him."

"Oh, you sicko." Clem whispered, and threw the bottle, as it crashed near the bar counter.

"I heard that." Jack grinned.

With Jack's back turned, Clem quickly crawled up, and stabbed him in the shoulder. Jack elbowed her in the stomach, but Clem recovered quickly from the blow. Jack fired at her, but Clem took cover behind the bar counter, just in time.

"That was good, kid. But, it's gonna be alright, now." Jack said, as he pulled out a machete he had holstered on his back.

Clem quickly took cover into the kitchen, and behind a freezer. Jack followed her into the kitchen, scanning the area around him.

"Y'know, you keep surprising me." Jack chuckled, darkly. "It's a shame you wouldn't come around. You promise to give up now, I'll end it, quick. Promise."

Clem picked up a brick, and threw it at Jack's back, stunning him. Clem rushed up, and stabbed him in the side. Clem jumped back, as Jack swung his machete at her, frantically.

Clem ran out of the kitchen, and back into the main dining area. The fire had already spread across Clem ducked behind the front of a salad bar, on the lower floor. Jack emerged from the kitchen, a wild glare in his eyes, and a crazed look on his face.

"Heh, heh. Run, little baby fox. Run." Jack snickered, darkly.

Jack went down to the lower floor, and ducked behind a pillar. Jack was gonna copy Clem's style, and wait for her to make his move. However, he didn't know that Clem saw him first, before he took cover.

Clem watched, as Jack advanced to the salad bar. Clem quickly moved around to the left side the bar, as Jack moved to the right. Clem moved to the back of the bar, and watched as Jack moved to the front. Clem moved to the pillar, where Jack hid earlier. As Jack did a complete circle around the bar, Clem snuck up, and jumped onto the rabbit, stabbing him in the shoulder again.

Jack, being a strong rabbit, fell to the ground, hitting his head on the floor, as Clem tumbled off him, and hit her head on a chair. The two mammals laid unconscious, as the fire continued to burn above the support beams of the ceiling...

...

"Look! That's gotta be it!" Judy said, as she shielded her eyes from the blizzard.

Judy pointed to the sign that read, "Silver Lake."

Nick, Danny, and Judy hurried to the town, but took cover in a gas station, as three rhino cannibals came patrolling towards their direction.

"Why are we doing this? We should be guarding the town, instead of the perimeter. Especially, now that we've got an infected roaming around." said one rhino.

"Nick, they gotta be talking about Clem. That's how she must've escaped." whispered Judy.

"We gotta, in case that rabbit, and those other foxes she's with, comes down this way." said another rhino.

"Looks like they were expecting us." said Nick.

"Well, let's not disappoint them." said Danny, bringing out his bat.

Hiding behind a counter, they waited until two of the rhinos entered the building. Nick and Judy took one, while Danny took the other. Danny swung his bat at the rhino's ankle, bringing him down, then smashing his brains in, with his bat. Judy jumped, and kicked the rhino in the face, bringing him down. Nick finished him off, by stabbing him in the face. The third rhino came charging in, hearing the commotion, only to be blasted by Nick in the knee cap, then in the face, with his shotgun.

The three headed outside, and hid behind a car, as they saw a snow leopard cannibal was guarding the top of a gate. The gate was made from a wooden, and barb-wired wall, and a truck container, as the entrance. Judy shot the snow leopard, with her rifle. Nick shot at panther cannibal, guarding the entrance, with his revolver.

The trio rushed to the entrance, but ducked as a lion cannibal open fired, from inside the gate. Nick quickly ended the threat, as he took down the lion, with his revolver. The trio rushed into the town, watching for patrols, and for Clem.

The trio ducked again, behind another car, as an elephant and cougar cannibal were patrolling down the street. Nick shot at the elephant's leg, bringing him down, while Judy landed a head shot at the cougar, and Danny finished off the elephant, with his bat.

The coast clear again, the trio headed down the street, only to find it blocked by another wall. The trio headed down an alley to the right, leading towards another dead end, but found a door open, on the right, leading into a deli.

Inside, Nick slammed the door behind them. The trio turned on their flashlights, and Judy found Clem's backpack, amongst a shelf of many other backpacks.

"Guys, look. It's Clem's. But, why's it here, and not with her?" said Judy.

When they went to search the freezer room, Judy nearly shrieked, but stopped herself. Three bodies of antelope hung upside down from the ceiling, like the way butchers would hang their meat, ready to chop them into pieces.

"Oh, my God." Nick whispered, in horror. "They're cannibals."

"And here I thought, those bastards couldn't get sicker." said Danny.

"Guys, we need to find her! We need to find Clem, now!" Judy said, hyperventilating.

"Carrots, calm down. We'll find her, but you need to keep it together." said Nick. "Deep breaths."

Judy slowed her breathing down to normal, then the trio hurried to the main part of the store, and out the front door. Towards their left, they saw the restaurant, most of the front already on fire.

"Oh, shit. Clementine!" Nick gasped...

...

Clem stirred awake, her head pounding. Clem was so out of it, she didn't have the strength to get up. Rolling onto her front, standing on her paws and knees, she looked to see Jack unconscious on her left, and the machete had fallen underneath a booth chair to her right.

Clem, slowly yet steady, crawled to the machete. Just when it was within her reach, Clem was kicked down in the torso. Clem looked up to see Jack had quickly gotten back up, and looming over her, a crazed look on his face.

"I knew you had heart." said Jack. "Y'know, it's okay to give up."

Clem, now on her elbows, still crawled to get the machete. Jack kicked her down, again.

"Guess not. Just not your style, is it?" said Jack.

Jack got on top of Clem's back, and pinned her down.

"You can try begging." he said.

"Fuck you." Clem muttered.

Jack turned Clem around, and grabbed her by the throat.

"You think you know me? Huh?" said Jack. "Well, let me tell you something. You have no idea what I'm capable of."

As Jack's grip grew tighter, Clem desperately tried to shake him off. Her right arm outstretched, and her paw felt the hilt of the machete. Clem grabbed it firmly, and swung it. The blade cut deeply into Jack's shoulder, as he screamed in pain, and rolled off of Clem.

Clem stood on top of the twisted rabbit, and raised the machete. Jack screamed in terror, one last time, as Clem cut it short, slamming the blade into his face.

Clem didn't stop there. With blind rage, she just kept hacking and whacking at the demented bunny's face.

Over and over. Hacking and whacking. Blood had sprayed all over the floor, and on Clem's face. Everything Jack put Clem, and her friends through, she let it all out, at whacking at the body of Jack's face.

"Clem! Stop!"

Clem felt someone grabbed her by the waist, and she dropped the machete.

"NO, NO! Don't fucking touch me!" Clem cried, trying to wiggle her way out.

"Clem, it's us! It's us!"

Clem turned to see Nick and Judy holding her. Danny was right behind them.

"Look. Look at me. It's just us." said Nick, calmly.

"He- He tried to..." Clem sobbed, and buried her face in Nick's chest.

"Oh, baby girl. It's okay." Nick whispered, holding the broken vixen close.

When Nick called Clementine baby girl, he instantly remembered that was what he and Cassie called their darling Abby. In that moment, Nick realized that he didn't care if they weren't related by blood. Clementine needed a family. A dad, and a mom.

Nick did see and loved her as his own daughter, much like how he saw and loved Judy as his mate. He tried to deny it before, but now he truly did see Cassie and Abby in them. All this played in his mind, as he and Judy held Clem closer in a group hug.

"Nick... Judy..." Clem sobbed.

"It's okay, baby. We're here. It's over, now." Judy whispered, tears in her eyes too, as she hugged both the two foxes she loved more than anything.

Clem looked at Nick as he tried to console her, and Judy had her paws cradling her face. The three stood up, as they and Danny rushed outside.

The rest of the restaurant started to be engulfed by the flames, and taking any evidence of the traumatic event that occurred inside with it...

 **Well, guys. That's it for this chapter. Sorry if it's shorter than the last one, but I hope the action and drama in it makes up for it. This was truly another great, dramatic moment in the game, and one of my favorites. Hope you all enjoyed it. This also ends the winter arc, and next chapter will start the final arc, the Spring arc.**

 **I own nothing, except a few OC's, minus Daniel. All rights go to original owners. No copyright intended. Thanks. Stay tuned for more of this fanfic. Hope you enjoyed it, again.**


	16. Chapter 15: Everything You Hoped For

**Hey, guys. I'm back with the next chapter of this fanfic. Before I start, this is to answer the review left by Jackie the fox. There will be some WildeHopps in this chapter, and the epilogue, but it'll be subtle. Y'know, a small peck on the cheek, and hand holding. There won't be a lot, but it'll still be there. With that said, here's the start of the spring arc. Enjoy.**

 _(Spring)_

A warm breeze blew through the atmosphere. It was clear, with some clouds in the blue sky. The ground and roads were wet from the melting snow. The grass and flowers were poking right through cracks in the hallway. Vines growing back on the highway wall.

For Clem, her mind always found her way back to that winter. The harsh snow. The harsh winds. The harsh feel of that rabbit, Jack Savage, grabbing her...

Looking up, her mind flowed with the memories, as she saw a picture of an emu, on the highway wall. The last time she saw an emu, was during that same winter. Pursuing that same emu was what landed her towards Jack, which led them to that intense fight in that terrible, burning restaurant. The same spot where she almost...

"Clem! Clem! Clementine!"

Clem turned to see Judy, calling her name. Nick and Danny were behind her.

Clem wore a red flannel T-shirt, a grey long-sleeved shirt, and tannish yellow cargo pants. Judy wore a low-cut, dark blue ZPD T-shirt, with her black bra straps showing on her shoulders, and black sweatpants. Nick wore a gray flannel shirt, and grayish-blue jeans. Danny wore a dark blue hoodie, with the sleeves cut off, a black T-shirt, and light-blue jeans.

"Yeah?" Clem called back.

"Didn't you hear me?" Judy said, hands on her hips.

"No, sorry. What?" said Clem.

Judy pointed to a highway exit sign that led to Cliffside Asylum, where the Fireflies were supposed to be.

"Look. It says, Cliffside Asylum. This is where we get off." said Judy.

"Let's go, kiddo." said Nick, as he took the lead.

Clem caught up with the rest of the group. The wind began to blow through their fur. Nick took a deep breath, to take it in.

"Feel that breeze, huh?" asked Nick. "I tell ya, guys. On a day like this, I just sit at my porch, and pick away at my six-string. Y'know, I was thinking, once we're done with this, Clem, I'd teach you how to play the guitar."

"Think you can teach me, too?" said Judy.

"Sure. Why not?" said Nick. "What do ya say, Clem?" said Nick.

When Clem didn't give an answer, Nick and Judy both turned to see her still wearing that sad look on her face.

"Clem, we're talking to you." said Judy, softly.

"Oh, yeah. That sounds great." said Clem.

Clem walked ahead of the group, which raised their concern, more.

"Is she gonna be okay? She's been like that since... Y'know." said Danny.

"She needs our help, now more than ever." said Judy. "It was a scary moment for her. She's tough, but she's still just a kid."

"She's probably seventeen, by now. Right?" said Danny.

"That wasn't my point." said Judy.

"Come on, guys. We need to focus." said Nick. "We'll find a way to help her. Somehow."

When the group caught up to Clem, she was standing near a bus poster, with a plane.

"Y'know guys, I dreamt about flying the other night." she said.

"Did you, now?" said Nick. "Well, go on. Tell us about it."

"Okay, so..." Clem started.

"I'm on this plane full of mammals. Everyone's screaming because the plane's going down. I run to the cockpit, and there are no pilots. I try to take the controls, but I obviously have no clue on how to fly a plane. Then, right before we crash, I wake up. I've never been on a plane, before. Isn't that weird?"

"Well, y'know, dreams are weird." said Nick.

"I had a weird dream last night, where food walks and talks. This one stick of broccoli said some very unkind things to me." said Danny.

"Just be glad you're a pred." Judy rolled her eyes. "No offense."

The four mammals continued down the road, getting off the main highway, and towards Salt Lake City. Up ahead, there was a quarantine sign.

"Look at that. Another city, another abandoned quarantine zone." said Nick.

The four climbed up a row of cars, then up to the roof of the bus. From where Nick could see, rising in the middle of the city, was the tall, ominous building that could only be the infamous asylum, Cliffside. A large sign with the name of the building, with two figures of an ox and a bear, on top of the roof.

"Look. There's the place. Let's go, guys." said Nick.

The group jumped off the bus, and worked their way into a train station. As Nick and Danny were looking for more supplies around the lockers and the baggage left behind by the passengers, during their frantic escape from the city, Judy took this moment to finally sit next to a down Clementine, and try to get to the root of the problem.

"Clem, is something bothering you?" Judy asked.

"Nope. I'm fine." said Clem.

"You're not fine. You're ears are pointed back." said Judy.

"Really. I'm just... thinking about the Fireflies, and how they'll get the cure out of me." Clem lied.

"You sure? Because, you seem extra quiet, today." said Judy.

"Oh, sorry." said Clem.

"No, I just... Never mind." Judy sighed, not wanting to push the young vixen.

"Hey, I think we can get up from here." Nick called, pointing to a ladder on the second floor.

Nick boosted up Danny, and he brought down the ladder. Danny went up first, then Judy. Nick waited for Clem, when he saw her not move from her seat.

"Clem." Nick called, concern on his face. "Clementine!"

"Yeah?" Clem looked up.

"The ladder. Come on." said Nick.

"Right." Clem said, sitting up.

When Clem climbed up the ladder, her eyes widened when she spotted something past outside the window. Something Judy and Danny failed to notice.

"Holy cow." Clem said, then sprinted down the hall.

"Clem?!" Judy called, startled.

"Clem?!" Nick called.

"Guys, come here! You gotta see this!" Clem called.

"What the?" Danny said, as the adults ran down the hall.

When the adults caught up to Clem, they stared in amazement, as a lone, giant orangutan was sitting by an open hole in the wall, covered in vegetation. The orangutan began munching on some of the greenery, like leaves from the vines.

"Well, that's something you don't see every day." said Danny.

"Wait, Nick? Don't scare it." Clem whispered, when Nick slowly approached the big ape.

"I won't. I won't." Nick reassured.

Reaching out, Nick petted the ape's hairy left arm, which didn't seem to mind, much. Nick motioned for Clem to come forward, and she petted the orangutan on his back.

Judy watched, a little teary-eyed, at the beautifully painted scene before her. She didn't know why, but it just filled her heart with the kind of joy and hope that only a mother could have.

"So freaking cool." Clem whispered, smiling for the first time in a long time.

The orangutan sat up, and climbed back out onto the vines.

"Oh, where's he going? Come on, maybe we can follow him." said Clem, running off, again.

"Heh. Slow down, kiddo." Nick smiled.

"Hurry up! C'mon! C'mon! C'mon!" Clem called back.

The adults followed Clem out onto the roof, and the four looked out into the view, in front of them. A whole group of orangutans were mulling around an entire baseball field, without a care in the world. The group was in awe, at this breathtaking scene.

"So, this everything you were hoping for?" Nick asked Clem.

"It's got it's ups and downs, but..." Clem sighed. "Man, you can't deny the view, though."

The group took in the rest of the city view. Orangutans in the baseball field, the mountains behind the city buildings, pointing into the sky, the calm quietness that filled the air. No Savages, no hostiles, nothing. Just them, like they were the only mammals in the world, right now. However, that blissful moment couldn't last forever.

As the orangutans left out of their view, Nick turned to the door, leading to the stairs, back down. Nick stopped, hesitantly. Nick looked back to see the others catching up, when Nick spoke his mind.

"Y'know... we don't have to do this." said Nick. "There are other ways to make an antidote. You guys know that, right?"

"Sure, but who knows when that'll turn up?" said Danny.

"I'm just... feeling nervous. That's all." said Nick.

"Nick, we're all nervous here." said Judy. "What's the other option we have?"

"Go back to Bunnyburrow?" said Nick. "Y'know, just be done with this whole thing."

"Look, Nick. I know you mean well, but there's no halfway with this." said Clem. "Once we're done, we'll go wherever you want to. Okay?"

"Well, we ain't leaving without the other. So, let's go wrap this up." said Nick.

Clem went down the stairs first, then the adults followed last. They worked their way down to another ground floor part of the train station, and back outside. There, they found a line of white medical tents lined up on the street, right underneath the overpass.

"Well, this place takes me back." said Nick, looking at the tents.

"How so?" asked Clem.

"Right after everything started, I ended up in a triage, just like this one." said Nick. "No matter where you looked, you just saw families torn apart. Whole world seemed to have turned upside down in a blink."

"Was that... after you lost Cassie and Abby?" asked Clem.

"Clementine-"

"It's okay, Carrots." Nick stopped Judy.

"Yes. Yes, it was." Nick answered Clem.

"I... can't imagine losing someone you love like that. Losing everything that you know. I'm so sorry, Nick." said Clem.

"It's okay, Clem." said Nick.

"Why don't we look inside the tents for more supplies." said Judy.

The group entered one of the bigger tents, and found some more canned food, and medical supplies. Before leaving the tent, Clem called to Nick.

"Nick, wait. I got something for you." said Clem. "Here. Vicky showed this to me, and I, uh, I stole it. I hope you don't mind."

Reaching into her pack, Clem handed Nick a small paper. Nick turned it, and saw it was the picture of him, Cassie, and Abby at the soccer game. The same picture that Nick turned down, when offered to Gideon.

Nick didn't bother blocking out the memories, this time. Nick just let them flow through. The happy memories. The sad memories. A few tears mixed into his eyes, and yet still smiled. Nick took a deep breath, and put the picture into his pack.

"Well... no matter how hard you try, I guess you can't escape your past." said Nick. "Thank you, Clem."

"They look beautiful. They both do." said Judy, holding Nick's paw.

"You would've loved them, Carrots. I know they would've loved you, too." said Nick.

"I know I would've." Judy said, as she kissed Nick's cheek.

"They almost look like..." Danny trailed off, lost in memories of his own.

"Look like what?" said Nick.

"Well, I might as well tell ya, now." Danny sighed.

"Y'see, back before this whole thing started, I lived in Zootopia with my twin sister, Maggie. She had a daughter, my niece, Madeline. Maddy, for short. She was just five years old, when everything went to total crap. I joined in the riots down in Zootopia, and became a hunter, so Maggie and Maddy could get something to eat. I wasn't proud of what I did, but I had to do it, for their sake. That's when the rules started breaking down. I knew I had to get all of us out of there, but they found us, and... I was the only one who got away. They killed the only family I had left. I made it all the way to Hartford, snuck in, and the rest was history."

"Danny... we're so sorry." said Judy, holding onto his arm.

"So, yeah. That's kinda why I was acting like a douche, first time we met. Being forced to go back through there, it didn't bring back pleasant memories." said Danny. "But, if anything, this just proves we ain't so different. We got something in common, Nick."

"Yeah. Come on, we need to get to the hospital." said Nick.

The group continued out of the triage, through a bus, and headed down to an underpass.

"This time, it's gonna be different." said Clem.

"What do you mean, Clem?" asked Judy.

"They're gonna be there. The Fireflies. I know it." said Clem.

"You and me both, kiddo. Fingers crossed." said Judy.

The underpass was littered with cars and trucks, along with some fallen debris, that broke off the underpass, and was covered in vegetation. The group moved through a gap in the debris, towards the right. Further down the pass, the road started to become filled with knee-deep water, a result from the fallen rain, and melted snow.

"Wait, you guys hear that?" Judy said, ears twitching.

Further down the pass, the sound of Savages echoed off the walls. Up ahead, there was two antelope Runners, two badger Howlers, and one rhino Bloomer.

"This doesn't look good." said Nick. "Come on. We can get past most of them, through there."

The group crouched, and crawled on the walkway, off the road. Nick strangled one of the nearby antelope Runners, to avoid detection, before making their way towards a doorway. The group were inside the generator room that powered up the lights in the underpass. The group got back up, but stopped to see three wolf Howlers on a railing.

Taking out a molotov, Nick threw it, and set the Savages burning to a crisp. Once the flames died down, the group rushed through the railing, and out onto the opposite side of the generator room.

Crouching and crawling back outside, there were more Savages further down the underpass. There were two jackal Runners, two serval cat Howlers and one mink Howler, and two elephant Bloomers.

"There's too many to take on." said Judy. "I think we can sneak past them, over there."

Judy took the lead, this time, as they crawled past to the far left, and towards the left walkway of the underpass. They snuck behind one of the Bloomers, and Judy quietly took out a ferret Howler with her knife, so as to not alert the Bloomer.

The group made it to another truck, blocking away, but still a good length away from the pack of Howlers. Nick boosted up Clem, and she climbed up to the top of the truck. Clem then pushed down a crate, and the adults climbed up via the crate, and onto the truck. The group jumped down the other side of the truck, and back onto the ground.

"Okay, they can't reach us, now." said Nick.

Continuing further down, they moved down a narrow path on the left, as the water was getting deeper to the right. What's more, another truck blocked the way.

"Wait here. I'll check it out." said Nick, diving into the water.

Below the surface, Nick swam through a subway car, holding the truck in place, and resurfaced back onto the opposite side of the truck. Nick climbed back onto shallow ground, and climbed a ladder onto the hood of the truck. Nick picked up the ladder, and brought it to the right, dropping it back down, so Judy, Clem, and Danny could climb up.

"Alright, it looks like it's shallow on the right. Follow my lead." said Nick.

The group continued down another narrow path on the right, but the water was waist deep.

"Oh, that is freaking cold!" Clem squealed, as they walked back onto dry land.

The group approached a metal fence, where they could hear the sound of another Howler. Nick turned on his flashlight, took out his pistol, and fired through a gape in the metal fence, taking out the Howler.

"That's that." said Nick. "Come on, Judy. I'll boost you up, and you can unlock the gate."

"Sure. I can't wait for those things to be exterminated." said Judy.

Nick boosted Judy up an open grate in the wall, and she hopped down, and unlocked the gate. The group continued down the path, until they reached an area where there was a pool of water, surrounded by several platforms, one leading up to another level. Up above a hole in the underpass, the group saw they were right underneath the asylum.

"We need to get up that ladder, if we're gonna get to the asylum." said Judy, pointing to a ladder.

"I'll find a way up there." said Nick.

Nick dove into the water, and swam down to a doorway, through a corridor, and resurfaced into a large, empty generator room. Nick then climbed up top on a couple generators, then getting onto the second floor of the room. Nick then squeezed through some pipes, and made it back to the other room, where the rest of the group was waiting for him, back on the first floor.

Back up top, Nick found another pallet, and pushed it off into the water. Nick jumped down into the water, and pushed the pallet towards Clem. Clem knew the drill, and jumped on. Nick pushed Clem towards the platform with the stairs, leading up. Clem climbed up, then ran up the stairs, and brought down the ladder.

Nick swam back onto the dry ground, and went first up the ladder. Suddenly, half of the ladder snapped off, and Nick, Judy, and Danny jumped back, as it fell to the ground.

"Whoa! You guys okay?!" Clem called.

"Yeah, just the stupid ladder fell off." said Nick.

"How will you get back up?" said Clem.

"I think I have another idea. Hang on." said Nick.

Nick picked up the ladder, and laid it against the wall, leading back up to the second floor where he found the pallet. Nick climbed up, then beckoned for Judy and Danny to follow him up. Once they were up, Nick picked up the ladder, and carried it over to the right. There was another smaller platform in the water, just a good length away from the platform with the stairs. Nick set the ladder down, then the trio climbed back down. Nick picked up the ladder once more, and laid it between the two platforms, forming a bridge.

"Clever fox." said Judy.

"Ladies first." said Nick.

"Show-off." Danny muttered, sarcastically.

Judy crossed first, then Nick, and then Danny. They worked their way up the stairs, and reunited with Clem. With that, they continued down the path, when the sound of rushing water came to their ears.

Up ahead, the group could see the next underpass had turned into a rapid river, with several trucks and cars still standing in the water, the current batting against them.

"Oh, boy." Clem said, shaking nervously.

"Let me go first, then you guys follow my lead." said Nick.

"I'll be right behind you, Clem. We'll go after Nick." said Judy.

Nick walked on a broken air vent, then jumped onto a truck container. Then, Nick jumped onto the next container, pinned to the right wall. Clem followed after, then Judy, and lastly, Danny. The four crossed a make-shift bridge made between two trucks, and a broken part of the air vent. Nick jumped onto the next air vent.

"Come on, Clem." Nick called.

Clem looked at the distance between her and Nick. "You gonna catch me?!" she called.

"I gotcha. Come on." said Nick, offering his arm out to her.

Clem backed up, then sprinted, and jumped, landing right next to Nick.

"See? You didn't even need me." Nick reassured, as Judy and Danny jumped and landed next to them.

"Let's just get off this thing, already." said Clem.

The group continued down the narrow path, and were met with another rickety obstacle. Below them, their only way across to the next balcony railing, leading out of the underpass, was a bus, turned on it's left side and wedged between the walls.

"Let me go first, this time. We go one at a time." said Judy.

Judy hopped down onto the bus. The bus swayed underneath her, upon impact. Judy moved slowly across the bus, and climbed up the railing.

"Okay, Clem. You next, hon." said Judy.

Clem jumped down next, the bus swaying again from her landing. Moving slowly across the bus, Clem reached the railing, where Judy helped her up. Nick was up next, but when he landed on the bus, due to his weight making the landing much harder, the bus began to wedge free from the walls.

"Oh, shit! Dan, get down here! We gotta run!" yelled Nick, running.

Danny jumped and landed on the bus, but too late. The bus moved freely, swept down by the current. Judy and Clem ran down the railing, hoping to catch up to Nick and Danny, and pull them up in time. Suddenly, in their rush, Nick fell through the bus doors, and Danny fell through a cracked window.

Nick and Danny quickly grabbed onto the metal bars of the bus railing, fighting against the current of the rushing water, which flooded half the bus. The railing broke off, and Nick and Danny were pushed to the back, pinned against the current.

With a tremendous leap, Judy and Clem jumped back onto the bus.

"Yes! We fucking made it!" said Clem.

"Guys, watch your heads! We're gonna kick the door open!" Judy warned.

Judy and Clem kicked against the doors, getting them open just ajar. Nick and Danny grabbed the doorframe, their fingers between the gaps. Nick and Danny pulled, while Clem and Judy kicked.

The door flung open, slightly bonking Nick and Danny on the head, but they shook it off, and resurfaced.

"Alright, quick!" said Clem. "Climb up, and-"

Suddenly, the bus started to tip rightside-up again, Judy and Clem scrambled to hold onto the side of the roof.

"Oh, shit! Oh, shit! Nick!" Judy cried.

"Girls! Give us your paws!" Nick cried, trying to reach Clem and Judy. "Give us your paws, before-"

Too late. The bus slammed rightside-up again, but now it was completely submerged in the water. The swift current carried Judy and Clem away. Nick and Danny crawled out, and were carried away by the current themselves, but then the current died down. Regaining their control in the water, Nick and Danny swam up to the floating, unconscious form of Judy and Clem.

Nick grabbed Clem, and Danny grabbed Judy. The two foxes swiftly resurfaced, taking in big gasps of air, and coughing. They pulled the girls onto dry land, as they were now out of the underpass. Nick and Danny quickly checked Judy and Clem's breathing. Nick and Danny quickly performed CPR, pumping their torsos to get the water out. They repeated the process of pumping them five times, before checking for their breathing, again.

"Hands in the air!" a voice called.

Nick and Danny briefly looked up to see two wolves, one with grey fur, and one with white fur. They wore Firefly uniforms, and had assault rifles pointing at the foxes.

"Please, they need help! They're not breathing!" said Nick, turning back to Clem.

"I said, hands in the air!" the grey wolf repeated.

"Come on, Clem!" Nick said, frantically.

The last thing Nick remembered was seeing the white wolf butting Danny in the head with his rifle, before he felt the same, painful feeling landing on the side of his head, rendering him unconscious...

 **Well, guys. That looks like a good stopping point here. Just two more chapters to go, before this fanfic is done. Up next, the climax. Following after that, the epilogue. Hope you enjoyed this one.**

 **So, yes. I replaced the giraffes with orangutans, because orangutans seem gentle enough, and all giraffes in Zootopia are evolved. Like how I kept the monkeys in chapter 10, all primates are the only non-intelligent enough mammal to evolve. Hope you liked the little backstory I threw in for Danny.**

 **I own nothing, except a few OC's, minus Daniel. All rights go to original owners. No copyright intended. Thanks. Stay tuned for more of this fanfic.**


	17. Chapter 16: Meant To Be

**Hey, guys. Well, we finally made it to the climax to the crossover fanfic, featuring the best disney movie ever, and the best naughty dog video game ever. So, in the last chapter, I wanted Judy to be unconscious too, because I feel it'll make the story just as good if Nick lied to her too, along with Clem, putting some heavy weight on all three of their relationships. Other than that, please enjoy.**

Nick awoke with a jolt, finding himself in a bed. A hospital bed, with a ceiling light beaming down his face. Shading his eyes, Nick turned to see Danny, awake and in a hospital bed, too. Nick turned to see the same two wolves from before, and one familiar, female sheep. Dawn Bellwether.

"Welcome to the Fireflies, boys." said Dawn.

Dawn wore the same glasses, but was dressed in a black tank-top, a white tank-top underneath, and tannish green cargo pants.

"Sorry about what happened on the street. Larry and Gary here didn't know who you were." said Dawn.

"Clem and Judy. Where are they?" asked Nick.

"They're okay. They brought them back." said Dawn.

Nick laid back down, and sighed in relief.

"Might I ask you your new friend is?" asked Dawn.

"Daniel. We couldn't have got here without his help." said Nick.

"Sup?" Danny said, sitting upright on his bed.

"You came all this way. How'd you do it?" said Dawn.

"It was the girls. They fought like a storm to get here." said Nick, sitting up. "Maybe, it was meant to be."

"I lost most of my crew on the way, up here." said Dawn, sitting up from her chair. "I pretty much lost everything. But then, you show up, and we find you, just in time to save them. Maybe it was meant to be."

"Am I missing something here? How do you two know each other? Because, from the tone, that's what it sounds like to me." said Danny.

"Danny came all this way with us, so I figured to wait to tell him. Okay?" said Nick.

Dawn nodded, as Nick explained everything to Danny.

"So, that's the whole story, Dan. Sorry I couldn't tell you, sooner. I told Gideon, but I wanted to wait with you, since you were planning to join the Fireflies and all." said Nick.

"Wow. I get why you kept it secret, but that girl, immune? That rabbit, the 'Princess Firefly' I heard about? Who'd a thunk it?" said Danny.

"Speaking of which, can you take us to them?" Nick asked Dawn.

"You don't have to worry, Nick. We'll take good care of them." said Dawn.

"No, I worry. Just, let me see them, please. I need to know if they're really okay." Nick insisted.

"You can't. Judy is still resting up in the next room from Clem's. As for Clem, she's being prepped for surgery, right now." said Dawn.

"What do you mean, surgery?" Nick asked, wearily.

"The doctors tell me, that the Night Howler parasite, the growth inside her brain, has somehow mutated. It's why she's immune. Once they remove it, they'll be able to reverse-engineer a vaccine." Dawn said, beaming with joy. "A real vaccine."

"Yeah, but it grows all over the brain." said Nick. "If they try to take it out of her, it could end up killing her."

"Yes, I know..." Dawn said, matter-of-factly.

Nick and Danny's eyed widened at how Dawn was so nonchalant about what she just said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Now, I want this whole pandemic over as much as anyone else, but Clem's just a kid. So..."

"So, find someone else." Nick finished for Danny.

"There is no one else." said Dawn.

"Now, listen. You are gonna show us where-"

Gary punched Nick in the stomach, before he could finish. Nick fell to his knees.

"Stop." Dawn ordered, as Danny rushed to his friend's side.

"Look, I get it." Dawn said to Nick. "But, whatever it is you've gone through until now, it is NOTHING to what I have been through. I've known Clem since she was born. I promised her mother I would look after her."

"Then, why are you letting this happen?!" said Nick.

"Because this isn't about me, or her!" said Dawn.

"Please, Dawn. She still has a lot to live for. There's gotta be another way." said Nick.

"There is no other way. Don't you get it, yet?" said Dawn. "There is NO other choice, here!"

"What about Judy? Aren't you waiting to let her have a say in it? You've been keeping her in the dark, all this time." asked Danny.

"Judy's my best friend. I trust her. I've known her since the start of the , you know how emotional bunnies can get." said Dawn. "But, if she were here, I know she'd agree with me, too."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that bullshit." Nick muttered, sitting up.

"March them both outta here. They try anything, shoot them." Dawn ordered Gary and Larry.

"Don't waste this gift, Nick." Dawn said, before walking out of the room.

"Get up." said Gary, pointing his pistol at Nick.

"He said, get up." Larry repeated, pointing his pistol at Danny.

Danny helped Nick up to his feet.

"Go on. Move." said Larry, pointing to the door.

Nick and Danny walked slowly toward the door, then stopped.

"We said, move!" Gary barked, shoving Nick. "Give us an excuse."

"Which way?" Nick asked.

Gary pointed to their left. The four started walking, when Nick and Danny spotted their backpacks on a reception desk. They were stripped of most of their weapons, though. They even took Danny's bat, Ol' Betsy. Nick and Danny stopped, and nodded to each other.

"What d'ya think you two are doing? Keep walking." ordered Larry. "I said, keep walk-"

Nick and Danny simultaneously elbowed both Gary and Larry's paws up, knocking their guns off their backs. Nick and Danny quickly grabbed both their gun arms, and smacked them across their muzzles. They both held them against the wall, pressing their arms onto their necks in a hold, while they swiped their pistols.

"Where's the operating room? Where's Judy Hopps' room?" Nick asked Gary, but both wolves refused to answer.

"We ain't got time for this." Danny said, shooting Larry in the private area. "Where?"

Nick shot Gary in the private area, too. "Where?!"

"Top floor. The far end. Their rooms should be next to each other." Gary gasped.

Nick and Danny shot both wolves in the heads, then they grabbed their backpacks. They still had some supplies, and all their valuables, like Nick's picture.

"I heard gunshots! Down here!" a voice called, from down the hallway.

"Oh, shit. We gotta move, or we're gonna get company." said Danny.

"Behind the counter!" said Nick.

The two foxes ducked behind the reception desk, as several Firefly soldiers came bolting down the hall. The soldiers kneeled down to check the two wolf bodies.

"The foxes are on the loose! They just killed Gary and Larry!" a skunk Firefly reported into his radio.

"Spread out! Find the targets, and eliminate them!" said the voice on the radio.

"Alright, check all the rooms! Do not let them get to the west wing!" ordered the skunk.

One badger soldier circled around to the room, behind the desk, when Nick grabbed him, and strangled him. Nick took his assault rifle. Both foxes crawled around the desk, and into an emergency room, where the skunk soldier was patrolling. Taking cover behind a table, Danny snuck up to the skunk, and strangled him, before taking his assault rifle.

Suddenly, one antelope Firefly heard the commotion, and rushed inside, The antelope spotted the foxes, and open fired. Danny quickly ducked back behind the table. Nick ducked behind a hospital bed, as another antelope Firefly fired at them, through an open window. Quickly grabbing a bottle from the table, Danny threw it at his antelope, stunning him, before shooting him down with his rifle. Nick's antelope fired at Danny, but Nick took this opportunity to fire at him, taking him down.

The coast clear, the two foxes hurried down the hall, leading to the entrance of the west wing. They both stopped, and took cover behind another hospital bed. There were several more Fireflies, patrolling the front lobby.

Picking up a bottle left on the ground, Nick threw it at the west wing entrance. The sound of the shattering glass distracted the Fireflies, as two leopards moved closer to inspect the noise, the other two Fireflies, bobcats, remained to watch their back. Nick aimed and fired at the two leopards, while Danny aimed and fired at the bobcats.

The coast clear again, They rushed through the main entrance of the west wing, but ducked behind another counter, as three hyena Fireflies came rushing down the hall. Danny and Nick ambushed them, and took them out with their rifles. They weren't gonna take any chances with these guys.

When they got to the main lobby of the west wing, a rhino Firefly burst through the double doors on the left, and fired at the foxes. Nick and Danny took cover behind a couch, and aimed at the rhino's face, taking down the massive mammal. Nick and Danny rushed into the stairwell, and Nick jammed the double doors behind him, jamming the handles with the front legs of a chair.

"That should buy us some time." said Nick.

Nick and Danny ran up the stairs, until they reached the top floor, the sixth floor. Bursting through the right double door, they continued down the hall to the right.

"Wait, wait. Nick, look at this." Danny said, picking up two voice recorders on the reception desk. One was labeled, 'Doug', and another was labeled, 'Dawn'. Danny played Doug's first.

 _"This is Doug Ramses, head surgeon. It is April 28. Dawn was right. The vixen's immunity is like nothing we've ever seen before. The cause is uncertain. As we've seen in all other past cases, the antigenic titers of the patient's Night Howler remain high in both the serum and the_ _cerebrospinal fluid. Blood samples taken from the patient rapidly grow Night Howlers in parasite-media in the lab. However, white blood cell lines are completely normal. There is no elevation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and an MRI of the brain shows no evidence of Night-Howler growth in the limbic regions, which would normally accompany the behavior of aggression in infected patients. We must find a way to replicate this in the lab. We're about to hit a milestone in history, equal to the discovery of penicillin. After nearly six years, we're about to come home, make a difference, and put mammal-kind back in control of it's destiny. All the men and women who've bled for this cause, or worse, will not be in vain."_

Nick played Dawn's recorder.

 _"It is 5:30 P.M. April 28. Hey, Anna. I know it's been a while since we last spoke. I just finished speaking, more like yelling, at our head surgeon. Apparently, there's no way to extricate the parasite without eliminating the host. Fancy way of saying we gotta fucking kill the kid. They asked for my go-ahead. I doubt I had much choice. Asking me was a form of formality... I'm just so tired. I'm exhausted, and I want this to end. I want you to know that I've kept my promise to you, after all these years. This is what we were after, what you were after. I already gave the go-ahead. This is a chance to save us. All of us. Despite it all, I looked after her. I would've done anything for her, and at times... I haven't told Judy, yet. I know how she must feel about her, but I know even she would agree with my decision. We're best friends, like you and me. I'm sure she'll understand in time, and forgive me. They asked me to kill Clem's other two guardians, Nick and Danny. I'm not_ _about to kill the only other two mammals who might understand the weight of this choice. Maybe, they can forgive me, too. Oh, I miss you, Anna. Your daughter will be with you, soon."_

"No. Not like this. I won't." said Nick.

Nick looked out the window to see where the far end of the west wing of the hospital was. From the curtain-drawn hall windows, they could see the shadows of Firefly soldiers, scrambling around the hall.

"Looks like they're gonna set up an ambush." said Nick.

"That means just at the end of the hall is where they have them. We're coming, girls." said Nick.

"Look, I think I see a way for us to get the jump on them, before they jump us." said Danny.

Danny pointed down the hall, where a doorway led to a kitchen, and then down to an office room, which connected to the hall where the Fireflies were staging their ambush. In the hall, the Fireflies had set up small forts for cover. That wasn't gonna do them much good, for long. Nick and Danny crouched and crawled through the kitchen, then towards the office.

In the office, there were two red panda Fireflies, which Nick and Danny quickly took out, by sneaking up and strangling them. One deer Firefly heard the commotion, and entered the office, only for Nick to grab him, and stab him with his knife. Soon, all the Fireflies in the hall were aware of where the foxes were.

With so much for the surprise attack, Nick and Danny took cover, and open fired at the Fireflies. Both sides switched from covering to firing. Of course, it didn't take too long for one victor to come out of this battle. Of which, Nick and Danny were those victors.

Moving out into the hall, and over the bodies of the dozen Firefly soldiers they took down, they hurried to the next set of double doors. They burst through, and Nick blocked it with a large medical cart. With no time to lose, they had to get to Clem first, before the operation. Nick and Danny burst through the red door, and found Clem, in a hospital gown, laid on a bed, with three sheep in surgery garments, standing over her.

"What are you two doing in here?!" said the head surgeon, Doug.

"I don't want any trouble. I just want the girl." said Nick.

"I won't let you take her!" said Doug, holding a knife out to Nick. "This is our future. Think of all the lives we'll save."

"She's got a lot to live for, too." said Nick, advancing to Clem.

"Don't come any closer! I mean it!" Doug warned.

Nick shook his head, and took down Doug, with his pistol. Danny finished off his two assistants, Woolter and Jesse. Nick walked to Clem, and took off her anesthetic mask, before lifting her into his arms.

"Come on, baby girl. I gotcha. Let's go get Carrots, next." said Nick.

Nick and Danny rushed over to the next room on the left, and found Judy laid on a bed, but she still had her same clothes on.

"Nick, look out!" shouted Danny.

Nick felt shoved, as he and Clem fell to the floor, then turned to see Danny take down two boar Fireflies, but one evaded his shots, and shot Danny several times, in the torso. Nick grabbed his assault rifle, and took out the boar. Nick rushed to Danny's fallen form, a pool of blood forming underneath him.

"Dan, hold on. I'll get you patched up." said Nick.

"Nick, wait. Just take a good look at me." said Danny, motioning to the several gunshot wounds in his torso. "What does this tell you? It means I'm a goner."

"Don't say that. I'll carry you outta here, and we'll find help." said Nick.

"Nick, I'll just slow you down." said Danny, coughing. "There'll be more looking for us, soon. Just take the girls and go. Please, I gotta know you made it out, alright."

"But, you're our friend." said Nick.

"You guys have been the best of friends to me, too. That's why I'm asking you to do this, please." said Danny.

"Thank you, my friend." said Nick, as he picked up Clem in his right arm, and picked up Judy in his left.

"Go, they're coming." said Danny, hearing more Fireflies coming down the hall.

Nick bolted out the door, and ran down the hall, reluctantly and regrettably leaving behind another true friend.

"I'm getting you girls outta here." Nick said to Clem and Judy.

"One fox is down! The other fox has the vixen and Judy Hopps! Stop him!" "He's headed for the pediatrics!"

Nick could hear Fireflies shouting all around him.

"Dammit, which way?!" Nick muttered.

Nick looked up, and saw a sign leading to the elevator. Nick started running, cutting across a couple rooms to evade the Fireflies.

"We're okay. We're okay. We're okay." Nick kept saying to the girls, but mostly to himself.

As Nick kept running, memories started flooding back in his mind. A feeling of deja vu swept over him. The hospital started to turn into the field Nick ran through, that night. The night the whole world changed. Instead of holding Clem, she was replaced by Abby. Instead of Judy, she was replaced by Cassie, running next to him.

It was then Nick truly realized what these two meant to him. Nick lost one mammal he loved once, and he lost one daughter once. But, he was not gonna let that happen again. This time, things would be different. Nick was gonna make them different, but in the right.

"Last chance! We already got one of you! Give them back, and you'll be spared!"

The threats of the Fireflies snapped Nick back to reality, as he saw the elevator, just within reach.

"I said get back!" Nick cried back.

The Fireflies started shooting, but Nick ducked, ran into the elevator, and pressed the down button. A couple of zebra Fireflies ran to the elevator, but the door stopped them, as the elevator went down.

Nick slumped back to the wall, and slid to the floor, still holding Judy and Clem tightly under his arms. Nick felt tears coming to his eyes.

"Oh, God..." Nick whispered, quietly sobbing.

Nick's mind flooded with all that happened. Nick just practically killed nearly all of what was left of the Fireflies, the only hope mammal-kind had left, and robbed them of two of the things that gave them hope. All the good it did was get his friend, Danny, killed.

But, even Danny agreed that this was the right thing. It might've been selfish, but Clem still had a lot to live for. Nick wanted her to live, to see the end of these terrible times. Nick wanted to start over, but with someone like Judy. Nick silently hoped she would understand, that if she were in the same predicament, she would do the same.

Nick wiped his tears on his shoulder, and picked himself up from the floor. The elevator door opened, Nick pushed the red button, and ran into the garage. Nick rushed to the only car he saw, but was stopped at gunpoint. Dawn slowly walked out of the shadows, holding her pistol at Nick, careful not to get Clem and Judy in her line of fire.

"You can't save them, Nick!" said Dawn. "Even if you get them out of here, then what? How long before they're torn to pieces by packs of Savages? That is, if they haven't been raped and murdered by hunters, first?"

"That ain't for you to decide." said Nick.

"This is what they'd want, and you know it." said Dawn.

"And just what do you know about what they want? About what I know?" Nick said, repeating the same, similar sentence his friend, Honey, said almost a year ago. "Please, Dawn. There must be a better way than this. Clem has a whole lot to live for. I don't want to see that taken away from her."

"Maybe, one day, when this is over, you'll get another chance to. But, if there was another way, don't you think we would've found it, by now?" said Dawn.

"Look, you can still do the right thing, here." Dawn said, raising her arms up, pointing the gun away from Nick.

"She won't feel anything."

Nick seemed like he was starting to be reasonable, looking down at Judy and Clem. Dawn slowly moved towards Nick. Nick looked back up, his face changing from guilt, to defiance. Nick slung Judy onto his shoulder, revealing the pistol he hid and carried underneath, and shot Dawn in the abdomen. Dawn fell, blood leaking out of her.

Nick rushed to the car, and laid Clem down in the back, then placed Judy in the front passenger seat. Nick slammed the doors, then looked back at Dawn. Nick walked back, gripping his gun tightly in his paw.

"Wait!" Dawn pleaded, holding her arm up to stop the fox. "Let me go! Please..."

Nick looked at the sheep pitifully, then looked back at the car, then back to Dawn, again.

"You just come after them." Nick said, as he blew Dawn's brains out.

Nick gasped at the deed he did, then took a sharp, deep breath. Nick rushed back to the car, and drove out of the hospital, at lightning speed.

...

The sun started to rise as Nick drove onto the highway, past the highway signs that led out of the city. Nick looked back to see no one was following them. Nick relaxed, but chose to be alert. That's when Judy and Clem both stirred awake.

"Aw, man. What the crap am I wearing?" said Clem, feeling the hospital gown on her.

"Take it easy. The drugs are still wearing off." said Nick.

"Nick, what happened?" said Judy.

"We found the Fireflies." Nick started his lie.

"Turns out, there's a whole lot more like you, Clem. Mammals that are immune. There's dozens, actually. It didn't do a damn bit of good, either. That's when the military found the Fireflies, too. They ambushed the asylum. They found out where the Fireflies were hiding at, and they've been planning it for a good while, I imagine. I had to get you two out of there, but Dawn and Danny... They sacrificed themselves to stop a whole group of soldiers after us, just so we could get away. I saw some of the Fireflies escape, but we got separated. But, after the failed test, after the ambush... they actually decided to stop looking for a cure, for now."

"Everyone, even Dawn and Danny, too?" Judy whispered.

Nick just nodded, silently. "We're in the clear now, I think. I'm taking us home."

Judy just leaned back on her sit, sighing a heavy sigh, while Clem just turned away, facing the back seat.

"I'm so sorry..." said Nick.

"Don't be, Nick. It's not like you meant for any of that to happen, back there." said Judy.

Nick never said another word, and just kept on driving...

 **Well, guys. That's it for this chapter. All that's left is the epilogue, and this crossover is done. Sweet!**

 **So, please don't hate for me axing off Danny. I wanted the story to end with just Nick, Judy, and Clem. Also, the scene where they rescued Judy, and where Danny was axed off, was inspired slightly on an alternate version of the scene where Joel rescued Ellie, from the video game. Also, the story Nick made up, I included the part with the military, so Nick could lie to Judy, because this effects her, too. Thus, putting some awkward strain on all three of the trio characters, and their relationships.**

 **I own nothing, except a few OC's, minus Daniel. All rights go to original owners. No copyright intended. Thanks. Hope you enjoyed it, and stay tuned for the last chapter of this crossover fanfic.**


	18. Epilogue: Swear To Me

**Hey, guys. I'm here with the epilogue. So, we've finally made it to the end of this crossover fanfic. First off, I want to thank all of you guys for your favs, reviews, follows, and all your views of this fanfic. Second, this is to answer the review from Skull822, yes. When the sequel game, The Last of Us: Part Two, comes out, and when I've played it, I will do a sequel fanfic to this crossover, based on the second game. With that said, please enjoy the epilogue.**

There wasn't a cloud in the sky. The quietness, with the exception of a few chirping birds overhead, swept the view. From the clifftop, the mountain valley looked like a sea of trees. Near the cliff, a few broken power lines hung from the bluff of the cliff, and a sign read that BunnyBurrow was just ahead, were it not for the broken road, that ended at the cliff.

Clem was sitting on the edge of the backseat, with the car door open. Clem had changed out of the hospital gown, and now wore a red plaid hoodie, a grey shirt underneath, and jeans. The same backpack she carried throughout her journey, found in the backseat of the car, hung on her back, where it belonged.

Clem had her sleeve rolled up, and she traced her fading bite mark with two of her fingers. Clem just found it hard to believe that soon, it would be a full year since she got bit, and survived through her immunity. A full year of trekking across the ruined country, where she made and lost many good friends, and enemies she'd rather forget, along the experiences that came when she met those mammals, the good and bad.

The slam of the car hood brought Clem back to reality, pulling her sleeve down. Clem jumped out of the seat, and slammed the car door closed.

"Welp, looks like we're walking." said Nick, rubbing his paws from trying to repair the broken-down car, to no success.

"Should be a straight shot through here." Nick said, pointing to a fence, leading into the forest, before turning to the view to his right.

"Actually kinda pretty, ain't it?" Nick asked both Judy and Clem.

"Yeah, it is." Judy said.

As Judy stared, she admitted it was beautiful, but she knew beneath that beauty and bliss, there were hidden dangers that many mammals dared not to see with their own eyes. The same kind of dangers she'd failed to put an end to. Without the Fireflies, without her dream of the ZPD, she felt left without a purpose.

Well, that wasn't totally true. She still had something that was like a purpose. A priority. A priority that rested between her, Clem, and Judy. Judy, being the one to not give up hope, she hoped now she would find a new sense of purpose back in the town where she was born, Bunnyburrow.

Nick opened a gap between two metal wires in the fence. Clem and Judy crawled through, with Judy holding the gap open, as Nick crawled through.

"Oof. Feeling my age, now." Nick smirked, as the group walked through the forest.

"How old would that make you? 33?" asked Judy.

"Yep. I'm surprised you remembered. You must be 25, now. Right?" asked Nick.

Judy nodded.

"You know, I don't think I've told you two this. But, me, Cassie, and Abby used to take hikes like this. I think the three of you would've been good friends. You would've liked them, and I know they would've liked you both, too." said Nick.

"Yeah, I know we would've." said Clem.

The trio climbed up the hill, where the town of Bunnyburrow came into view.

"Would you look at that." Judy said, in awe.

From the top of the bluff, the town of Bunnyburrow had come a long way from being rebuilt, slowly starting to look like the old town Judy remembered. It had some big chances, like the guard towers and fences, but that'll have to take some getting used to.

The trio continued down the hill, past the river, and up a slanted log, against the wall of another bluff. Nick heaved himself up the top of the bluff, as the log broke underneath, giving away the boost. However, Nick lowered his arm, and pulled up Clem, and then Judy.

"Alright, come on. Almost there." said Nick, as he and Judy started heading down the bluff, again.

"Hey, wait." Clem called softly, stopping the adults.

Clem fidgeted with her fingers. She grunted, trying to think of something she needed to get out of head. Clem turned around, then back to Nick and Judy.

"Back in Boston, when me and Angel got bit..." Clem started.

"Well, at first, she said 'we take the easy way out', or 'we fight, for every second we get to spend with each other'. We didn't know what to do. So, she says, 'Let's just wait it out. Y'know, we could be all poetic and just lose our minds, together'. After all that's happened, I feel like I'm still waiting for my turn."

"Clementine, don't talk like that." said Judy.

"When this all started, for me, it was my mother, who was the first one that I lost. Then, it was Angel, and then it was Honey, and then Manchas and Leo. Now, it's both Dawn and Danny." said Clem.

"None of that is on you." said Nick.

"No, you guys don't get it." said Clem.

"I think we do." said Judy. "I lost nearly all my siblings, all my nieces and nephews. Nick lost his wife and daughter. We've had to carry that around with us, for years."

"We all struggled for a long time with surviving." Nick agreed. "And, you... No matter what, you keep finding something to fight for. Now, I know that's not what you wanna hear, but it's-"

"Swear to me." said Clem, interrupting Nick.

"Swear to me and Judy, that everything you said about what happened to Danny, Dawn, and the Fireflies was true."

Judy looked at Clem, then looked at Nick, a concerned look on her face. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't speak, more or less think, the words. Nick had a concerned look on his face too. Nick taught about the irony of Judy's words, how she said he hadn't intended for what happened back at the asylum to occur, back when they were driving out of Salt Lake City. Nick regained his calmness, taking a deep breath.

Nick would tell the truth, one day. But for now, he simply said, "I swear."

Clem just looked at Nick. She could tell that he was lying. She could tell there was more he wasn't telling her or Judy. But, they just got to Bunnyburrow. She knew, deep down, that Nick meant well. Whatever really happened, she figured it must've been really awful. Clem would find out what really happened eventually, for both her and Judy.

But for now, all she said was, "Okay."

Judy's ears just drooped at the awkwardness that hung between the three of them. Not another word was spoken after that, as they continued down the slope, towards the town.

Not one word...

~The Last Of Zootopia~

~To Be Continued in Part II~

 **Well, guys. There you have it. It took a long, good while to work on this. But, I'm glad I got this done, from start to finish. I hope you guys all enjoyed it. I also hoped you enjoyed the little changes I made to the story, as well as the characters. So, yes. Like I said, once the sequel comes out, and once I've played it, I will do a sequel fanfic to this fanfic. It may not be for a good while, but I'll have some new fanfics to tie you over, until then.**

 **Speaking of which, I think I'm gonna take another break from Zootopia fanfics, and focus on other ideas for stories. Fret not, for I will return to do more Zootopia stuff, in the future.**

 **I own nothing, except a few OC's, minus Daniel. All rights go to original owners. No copyright intended. Thank you, to all who've read, reviewed, followed, and favorited this fanfic. Stay tuned for more fanfics, right here.**


End file.
